I donโt think anybody โ not even writer-director Rian Johnson nor leading man Daniel Craig โ had any idea that 2019โs Knives Out would spawn a film franchise of this scale. To the point that production for Knives Out 3 (officially dubbed Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery) is now underway.
Hereโs what we know about Netflixโs hotly-anticipated follow-up to Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
RELATED: Netflixโs โThe Gentlemenโ Season 2 Just โLostโ Guy Ritchie
Jump To:
Knives Out 3 wonโt be the final chapter
Back in 2021, Netflix acquired the rights to two Knives Out sequels (along with the streaming rights of the original) for a staggering US$450 million after something of a bidding war between all the major players, i.e. Apple, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+.
As noted by Collider, this half-a-billion figure also covers the production budgets for both films, complete buyouts for those who have backend agreements (i.e. Johnson and Craig), and most of the pre-marketing costs.
While nothing has been formally announced by the streaming giant just yet, Rian Johnson confirmed his intention to expand the series during the 2022 Toronto Film Festival so long as Daniel Craig remains involved as campy private detective Benoit Blanc.
โIโm going to keep making these until Daniel [Craig] blocks me on his phone.โ
Rian Johnson
A sentiment the 56-year-old James Bond actor would echo around the same time: โIf he keeps writing them, Iโll keep doing them. Thatโs what makes it easy then, heโs such a wonderful writer that itโs there on the page for me to do.โ
RELATED: โHappy Gilmore 2โ Officially Finds A Home At Netflix
What will the third Knives Out movie be about?
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery will explore Benoit Blancโs โmost dangerous case yet.โ
โIn the beginning, the knives came out. Then, behold, the glass was shattered. But my most dangerous case yet is about to be revealed.โ
Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), Wake Up Dead Man reveal teaser
Apart from that, however, details have been kept very hush-hush.
Similar to Glass Onion, this wonโt be a โsequelโ in the traditional sense; rather a standalone adventure following Craigโs memorable detective a la Agatha Christieโs Hercule Poirot.
โIโve never really been interested in doing sequels โ but this, the idea of doing more of these with Daniel as his character, is not sequels,โ Rian Johnson told SiriusXM.
โItโs just coming up with a whole new mystery, a whole new location, an all-new cast, whole new mechanics of the appeal of a mystery, and everything.โ
โYou look at Agatha Christie books and itโs not like every single one is a mansion, a library, and a detective. Besides setting, she also explored a bunch of different subgenres. She found a different narrative way into each of them.โ
Elsewhere, Johnson noted this wasnโt merely a matter of fulfilling a contractual obligation, but a project that genuinely excited him.
โWe structured the [Netflix deal] so that if I wanted to do something else next, I could. And I think everybody assumed Iโd have a couple of other random ideas โ unrelated projects โ that Iโve been kicking around,โ he told Deadline.
โHonestly, over the past couple of months, the most exciting creative thing to me right now is that third movie. And so, I think Iโm going to hop right into itโฆ genuinely, thatโs the shiny object I find my nose pointed toward right now. [Itโs] the idea of figuring out how it can be completely different from this one as well as the first one.โ
In line with the title convention established with Glass Onion, which was a reference to The Beatles track, Knives Out 3 is a reference to the U2 song โWake Up Dead Man.โ Perhaps thereโs a clue in there somewhereโฆ
RELATED: Netflixโs โBeefโ Season 2 Circles Oscar Isaac & Carey Mulligan
Do we know the Knives Out 3 cast members?
Aside from the return of Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery will be brought to life by the following ensemble castโฆ
- Josh OโConnor (The Crown, Challengers)
- Glenn Close (Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons)
- Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men, Sicario)
- Mila Kunis (Black Swan)
- Jeremy Renner (Mission: Impossible โ Ghost Protocol, Wind River)
- Kerry Washington (Scandal)
- Andrew Scott (Sherlock, Ripley)
- Cailee Spaeny (Bad Times at the El Royale)
- Daryl McCormack (Peaky Blinders)
- Thomas Haden Church (Spider-Man 3)
To refresh your memories, the first film featured the likes of Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Christopher Plummer, Michael Shannon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, and Katherine Langford.
Glass Onion, on the other hand, welcomed Janelle Monae, Kathryn Hahn, Edward Norton, Dave Bautista, Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr, Madelyn Cline, and Jessica Henwick with cameos from Ethan Hawke, Hugh Grant, Stephen Sondheim, Natasha Lyonne, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Yo-Yo Ma, Serena Williams, as well as Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
When is the Knives Out 3 release date?
Principal photography officially commenced on June 10, 2024, in London with the view of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mysteryโs release date falling sometime in 2025; most likely the latter half around November/Christmas as was the case with Glass Onion.
At this stage, itโs unclear whether itโll wrap up in time to hit the festival circuit or how limited the limited theatrical run will be before it arrives on streaming queues around the world.
RELATED: Netflixโs โPeaky Blindersโ Movie Will Be A โNo Holds Barredโ & โFull-Onโ War
Netflixโs $300 million mistake
According to box office analysts, Netflixโs decision to leave the party early essentially let millions trickle down the drain.
As some of you may recall, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery was given an extremely limited single-week theatrical preview in just a handful of cinemas ahead of its arrival to streaming queues the world over.
And despite playing with both hands tied behind their back, it still managed to earn approximately US$15 million; becoming Netflixโs biggest-ever North American theatrical release with just 600 locations to screen the murder mystery in the process.
Had they opted for your run-of-the-mill rollout, however, pundits forecasted a considerably heftier global box office haul โ one that was closer to the US$300 million benchmark against a US$40 million production budget. Potentially even more.
โWith a traditional wide release, premium screen spread, and full marketing campaign, I think Glass Onion could have generated at least US$50 million to US$60 million to lead the entire market,โ Shawn Robbins, Chief Analyst at BoxOffice.com, told CNBC.
โItโs a lost opportunity for Netflix in terms of extra money โ they had a big chance and they whiffed,โ added Wall Street analyst Eric Handler.
What took the market share in the crimson Nโs absentia?
Marvelโs Black Panther: Wakanda Forever reportedly led the North American box office, generating US$45.9 million in domestic receipts during the countryโs three-day weekend and US$64 million across the total five-day Thanksgiving holiday period.
Have they โlearned their lessonโ? Who knows.
Do we have a Knives Out 3 trailer?
Currently, we do not have a Knives Out 3 trailer. Although there is an announcement teaser for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery โ check it out above.
In the meantime, feel free to revisit Knives Out and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery on Netflix.
Want to see what else is en route on the streaming giant? Check out everything coming to Netflix Australia.
If itโs feature-length entertainment youโre after, check out the best movies on Netflix Australia right now.
If episodic entertainment is more your style, check out the best shows on Netflix Australia instead.
And if youโre looking to add to your streaming stack, take a look at our round-up on the best streaming services in Australia.
Related Articles:
- Whatโs New On Binge In Australia?
- Whatโs New On Stan In Australia?
- Whatโs New On Amazon Prime In Australia?
- Whatโs New On Disney+ Australia?
- Best Movies On Amazon Prime Australia
- Best Shows On Stan To Stream
- Best Shows On Amazon Prime Australia Right Now
Also Read:
