The game, as they say, is afoot. Fans of Rian Johnson’s Knives Out mystery series were given reason to celebrate when they recently learned the title of the upcoming third adventure structured around Daniel Craig’s sleuth, Benoit Blanc. The general consensus on these movies is, “Hey Rian Johnson, please make 1,000 of these murder mysteries with Daniel Craig.” The first one, Knives Out, was delicious. The sequel Glass Onion was a complete shift to a new location with new criminals, and was equally magnificent. And if you feared at all that Craig and Johnson would rest on their laurels for the upcoming Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, well, one need only look at this smashing photo of a long-haired Blanc to know that this movie is going to be magnificent. I literally screamed out loud when I saw this photo.
What a distinguished gentleman Benoit Blanc looks like in this stunning black-and-white photo, delivered by Rian Johnson on day one of filming on the sequel, titled Wake Up Dead Man. And for me, it’s the long hair that moves the needle. I adore when a main character shifts up gears and changes visual appearances. It suggests a passage of time, and a drastic shift in perspective for the main character.
The hair that Daniel Craig is rocking in this photo can only be described as “Chris Pine in Poolman.” And I’m here for that… despite the fact that Poolman is one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen.
At this point, however, we know next to nothing about the case that Benoit Blanc will tackle in Wake Up Dead Man. We’ve been collecting news on the casting of Knives Out 3, which includes Civil War standout Cailee Spaeny, Josh Brolin, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington, Mila Kunis, and Jeremy Renner… who might have to play himself thanks to an inside joke worked into Glass Onion.
I’d also imagine that Wake Up Dead Man is going to take Benoit Blanc to a brand new location to match that delicious hairstyle that is showcased in the Rian Johnson image. Similar to the Hercules Poirot movies on which Kenneth Branagh has been tinkering, these stories should aspire to deliver wild new twists and turns for Benoit Blanc, bringing audiences to extreme new locales that might match the personalities of the possible killers. In this, I trust in Johnson and Craig. I just know that they will deliver.
Given the timing, I assume we will see Wake Up Dead Man at the end of 2025, possibly in time for an awards push (Glass Onion, in case you forgot, was nominated for an Academy Award for its screenplay). And hopefully Rian Johnson continues to share a bit from the third Knives Out as it films, but not too much. We want to end up in the theater with more than enough of Wake Up Dead Man still under wraps, so Benoit can pull back the curtains on his latest mystery.
