How to Watch ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’

Amanda Bell December 12, 2025, 8:45 am

It’s time for those knives to come out yet again. Netflix has finally released the third installment of Rian Johnson‘s quirky whodunnit mystery movie series, titled Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

This installment to the film series is just as star-studded and must-see as the last two, Knives Out and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Here’s everything you need to know about Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

When did Wake Up Dead Man premiere?

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery officially premiered on Netflix on December 12, 2025, at 3 a.m. ET. It previously had a limited theatrical run, beginning on November 26.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. (L-R) Josh O’Connor and Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Cr. John Wilson/Netflix © 2025

John Wilson / Netflix

Who stars in Wake Up Dead Man?

The cast of Knives Out 3 is, like its predecessors, a veritable who’s who of Hollywood’s favorite stars.

Daniel Craig returns to his role as Benoit Blanc, the brilliant, bathtub-loving detective at the center of the first two films.

Alongside Craig, the film will also star The Crown‘s Josh O’Connor, Civil War‘s Cailee Spaeny, Ripley‘s Andrew Scott, Scandal‘s Kerry Washington, Fatal Attraction star Glenn Close, Mayor of Kingstown‘s Jeremy Renner, That ’70s Show alum Mila Kunis, The Woman in the Wall‘s Daryl McCormack, Outer Range star Josh Brolin, and Wings‘ Thomas Haden Church.

What is Wake Up Dead Man about?

The logline for the film reads, “Benoit Blanc (Craig) returns for his most dangerous case yet in the third and darkest chapter of Rian Johnson’s murder mystery opus. When young priest Jud Duplenticy (O’Connor) is sent to assist charismatic firebrand Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Brolin), it’s clear that all is not well in the pews. Wicks’s modest-but-devoted flock includes devout church lady Martha Delacroix (Close), circumspect groundskeeper Samson Holt (Haden Church), tightly-wound lawyer Vera Draven (Washington), aspiring politician Cy Draven (McCormack), town doctor Nat Sharp (Renner), best-selling author Lee Ross (Scott), and concert cellist Simone Vivane (Spaeny). After a sudden and seemingly impossible murder rocks the town, the lack of an obvious suspect prompts local police chief Geraldine Scott (Kunis) to join forces with renowned detective Benoit Blanc to unravel a mystery that defies all logic.”

Rian Johnson previously hinted that it would explore some further themes and genres, writing on Twitter, “I love everything about whodunnits, but one of the things I love most is how malleable the genre is. There’s a whole tonal spectrum from Carr to Christie, and getting to explore that range is one of the most exciting things about making Benoit Blanc movies,” adding that the title “gives a little hint of where it’s going.”