The first two Knives Out films were filled with clever humor, star-studded casts, but the third film, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, takes the story into darker and emotional territory. According to director Rian Johnson and actor Josh O’Connor, this installment focuses on themes of religion, faith, and crisis of faith.
The film, releasing on Netflix on December 12, follows detective Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig, who investigates the mysterious death of a priest in a small Catholic community. Josh Brolin plays the victim, while Josh O’Connor will be seen playing the role of a young priest who becomes the prime suspect in the case.
Ryan Johnson’s personal link to the story
According to the Straits Times, at the New York screening Johnson shared that the idea for the film began after a conversation with Daniel Craig. He wanted the third film to feel “more grounded” and more personal than Glass Onion. Johnson decided to explore themes of religion because of his past.
He said, “I have become very Christian and I am no longer a believer.” “My relationship with Jesus Christ shaped my identity when I was young, so my feelings about it today are very deep and complex.”
Johnson admitted that writing the script was emotionally difficult. He said he was in a “dark place” when trying to express all sides of his views on faith through the characters. Despite the challenge, he wanted to bring these themes into the Knives Out universe.
He said, “I was in a really dark place when I was writing it. It was a very difficult script to write because my goal was to take this thing that I have deep but conflicting feelings about, and try and represent all the different sides of myself in the characters.”
Daniel Craig helps shape the debate
Daniel Craig also influenced the direction of the film. He encouraged Johnson to make the central debate between the atheist detective and the theistic priest even stronger.
Craig believed that “the better the debate from both sides, the stronger their relationship will be.” This helped create one of the most powerful scenes in the film. Craig said, “There’s a journey to him in this movie that I don’t think was present in the first two, and I think that was probably important.”
Early reviews from Rotten Tomatoes praise the film’s adventurous approach. With a blend of mystery, emotional depth, and an honest exploration of faith, Wake Up Dead Man marks a thoughtful new chapter for the Knives Out series. The film will premiere on Netflix on December 12.