NetflixThe trailer for Knives Out 3 – aka Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery – has been released, and reveals the identity of the movie’s murder victim.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is the third – and most expensive – instalment in the Benoit Blanc series, a trilogy that sees the gentleman detective solving crimes in a variety of locations.
In the first Knives Out flick, he was investigating a murder at a country estate in Massachusetts, while in sequel Glass Onion, his detecting skills were put to use on a Greek Island.
In the new Netflix movie, Blanc is investigating the murder of a priest, so here’s everything we know about the movie, including release date, cast, and thanks to the new trailer, the identity of said victim.
When is Knives Out 3 released on Netflix?
Knives Out 3 drops on Netflix on December 12, 2025. However, select theaters will be showing the film from as early as November 26, 2025.
This gives you a two week window to catch it in cinemas before the Netflix debut.
NetflixThe first Knives Out movie was a Lionsgate production, and grossed more than $300 million before heading to streaming. Then Netflix purchased the exclusive rights to sequels, meaning Glass Onion had a limited theatrical release before quickly transitioning to the streamer.
Knives Out writer-director Rian Johnson recently spoked about his desire to see the threequel on as many cinema screens as possible, telling Business Insider: “We’ve seen if you put a movie people want to see in the theatres, they are going to show up for it, and that experience of being in a full house and having that experience is so important. It’s something that I love and I want more of in the world.”
Wake Up Dead Man cast
Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc. You can check out the rest of the cast and the characters they’re playing below:
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- Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc
- Andrew Scott as Lee Ross
- Glenn Close as Martha Delacroix
- Josh Brolin as Msgr. Jefferson Wicks
- Mila Kunis as Geraldine Scott
- Jeremy Renner as Dr. Nat Sharp
- Kerry Washington as Dera Draven
- Thomas Haden Church as Samson Holt
- Cailee Spaeny as Simone Divane
- Josh O’Connor as Rev. Jud Duplenticy
- Daryl McCormack as Cy Draven
What is Knives Out 3 about?
NetflixKnives Out 3 revolves around the murder of Josh Brolin’s Monsignor Wicks, who is killed in his own church.
Here’s the official synopsis, as per Netflix:
When young priest Jud Duplenticy is sent to assist charismatic firebrand Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, it’s clear that all is not well in the pews. Wicks’s modest-but-devoted flock includes devout church lady Martha Delacroix, circumspect groundskeeper Samson Holt, tightly-wound lawyer Vera Draven, Esq., aspiring politician Cy Draven, town doctor Nat Sharp, best-selling author Lee Ross, and concert cellist Simone Vivane.
After a sudden and seemingly impossible murder rocks the town, the lack of an obvious suspect prompts local police chief Geraldine Scott to join forces with renowned detective Benoit Blanc to unravel a mystery that defies all logic.
In a 2024 Tweet, Rian Johnson wrote that the series would continue to explore different corners of the murder-mystery genre, stating: “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.”
The film could also further explore Benoit Blanc’s sexuality after Glass Onion revealed his relationship with a man (played by Hugh Grant).
Speaking to Above the Line, Johnson said, “If you watch the movie, I think it’s made explicit. In terms of exploring it, maybe, but with these movies, they’re not really about the detective’s sexuality.
“It’s baked into the genre [when] the detective is kind of set outside the realm of the human drama that’s going on with the rest of the suspects. I’m sure it’ll come into play because it’s a big part of who he is. It’s just a fact about his character.”
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery trailer
The full trailer can be viewed below, and features Josh O’Conner’s priest setting out the film’s basic plot:
“Here’s what’s gonna happen. Benoit frickin’ Blanc and I are gonna ask you all some questions, and you’re gonna answer them, and we’re gonna get to the bottom of who killed Monsignor Wicks, and why.”
The first teaser can also be viewed below, in which ‘O Death’ by Ralph Stanley plays on the soundtrack, while we see footage of O’Coner’s reverend walking towards a church.
We then get a glimpse at Benoit Blanc leaning against a tree in a graveyard, as via voiceover, he calls the case at the center of the movie “the ‘impossible crime.”
In suitably dramatic fashion, he then says, “For a man of reason, this is the Holy Grail.”
That’s followed by quick-fire images of a woman playing cello in a concert hall, Glenn Close’s character kneeling and praying as police cars pull up behind her, and a priest delivering a sermon.
Then over a brief shot of what looks like Duplenticy stabbing someone with a knife, Blanc says: “This was dressed as a miracle, but it’s just a murder, and I solve murders.”
For more intrigue, check out the best thrillers on Netflix right now and where to watch Rian Johnson’s best mystery movie.