Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery has officially started production.
Writer-director Rian Johnson made the announcement on X, sharing a first look at the upcoming murder mystery in the process. “Aaaaand we’re off! Today is day 1 of shooting on the next Benoit Blanc mystery Wake Up Dead Man – see you on the other side,” the caption on the post read.
As fans can see in the black-and-white first look image below, Daniel Crag‘s Benoit Blanc will be sporting some longer locks this time around. Already people on social media are referring to his new look as “Tom Cruise in every other Mission: Impossible movie.”
Netflix also confirmed the full cast for Wake Up Dead Man, which includes the following actors:
- Daniel Craig (Knives Out, Glass Onion)
- Josh O’Connor (Challengers, The Crown)
- Glenn Close (Guardians of the Galaxy, Fatal Attraction)
- Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men, Dune)
- Mila Kunis (Black Swan, That ’70s Show)
- Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, Hawkeye)
- Kerry Washington (Scandal, Django Unchained)
- Andrew Scott (Sherlock, Ripley)
- Cailee Spaeny (Civil War, Priscilla)
- Daryl McCormack (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande; Peaky Blinders)
- Thomas Haden Church (Sideways, Spider-Man 3)
Yes, Renner was mentioned in Glass Onion as a real life figure in the Knives Out universe, but no he will not be playing himself in Wake Up Dead Man.
“Jeremy’s a great actor who I’ve wanted to work with for a long time,” Johnson shared. “I was very relieved he thought the hot sauce thing was funny! He’s playing a proper part in this one, we’ll keep the sauce off screen. Maybe we’ll sneak a few bottles onto the catering table.”
Johnson also confirmed that Wake Up Dead Man shares its title with the 1997 U2 song from their album Pop. “Pop is a very underrated album, and that song is very right for the title,” explained the filmmaker. “But I’ve had Wake Up Dead Man in my head for a long while, and I first heard the phrase in American folk music.”
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is set to be released on Netflix in 2025.
What do you think of the cast for Wake Up Dead Man? Are you excited for Benoit Blanc to return in 2025?