Daniel Craig Is Set To Reprise His Benoit Blanc For The Third Time(Photo Credit –Netflix/X)
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Rian Johnson’s next film, Wake Up Dead Man, will be released on Netflix on December 12, 2025. This upcoming detective mystery will be the third installment in the Benoit Blanc or Knives Out series, starring Daniel Craig as the titular detective.
All We Know About Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc From The Knives Out Franchise
Benoit Blanc made his debut in 2019’s Knives Out, a murder mystery that also doubled as a social commentary on societal class divisions. The main protagonist is Marta Cabrera (played by Ana de Armas), the nurse to the bestselling and incredibly wealthy author Harlan Thrombey. Benoit Blanc is introduced in the film as the eccentric detective assigned to solve the mystery surrounding Harlan’s death.
Benoit Blanc would reappear in the sequel Glass Onion, which focuses on the tech billionaire CEO, Miles Bron, inviting his inner circle of friends and business partners known as “The Disruptors” for a murder mystery game at his Glass Onion mansion. Things immediately take a turn for the worse when the guests begin dying for real, with Benoit showing up both to solve the murders and to uncover the secrets behind Miles’s technology company, Alpha.
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Mischief doesn’t stand a chance in the presence of Benoit Blanc.
Rian Johnson Wanted Benoit Blanc Films To Stand On Its Own
Knives Out proved to be a critically acclaimed box office success, earning $312 million worldwide (per Box Office Mojo), and positive word of mouth ensured that the film would serve as the foundation of an enduring franchise. Unlike with the original movie, the sequel, Glass Onion, would switch distributors from Lionsgate to Netflix, resulting in a limited theatrical release before being released on the streaming service on December 23, 2022.
Netflix decided to brand all Benoit Blanc sequels as “A Knives Out mystery,” a decision that Rian Johnson himself disagreed with, as he intended each film to stand on its own. Commenting on the state of Hollywood, he said, per Deadline, “I get it, and I want everyone who liked the first movie to know this is next in the series, but also, the whole appeal to me is it’s a new novel off the shelf every time. But there’s a gravity of a thousand suns toward serialized storytelling.”
The Benoit Blanc films are not Rian Johnson’s only foray into detective fiction. His debut film, Brick, was a homage to classical noir detective stories, and he’s also the creator of the Peacock original series “Poker Face.”
A first look at Daniel Craig and Josh O’Connor in the next Benoit Blanc mystery, Wake Up Dead Man. Working on it, much more to come! pic.twitter.com/1cGPdPpAZ2
Rian Johnson & Daniel Craig Already Had Storied Hollywood Careers Before The Knives Out Franchise
Both Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig already had storied Hollywood careers before working together on Knives Out. Rian Johnson became a household name when he was announced as the director of the highly anticipated Star Wars: The Last Jedi in 2017. Before this, he’d gained worldwide recognition for writing and directing 2012’s Looper, a critically acclaimed film revolving around time travel and assassinations.
Daniel Craig became a global superstar after being announced as Pierce Brosnan’s successor to the role of James Bond. His debut in 2006’s Casino Royale garnered critical acclaim and was a box office success. By the time Knives Out was produced, Daniel Craig had completed most of his run as James Bond, starring in Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, and Spectre.
You can check out a glimpse of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery below:
XII.XII.MMXXV. Thou shalt be seated.
Save the date for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the newest Benoit Blanc whodunnit from Rian Johnson. #TUDUMpic.twitter.com/047f8Cyo6N
