Wake Up Dead Man Trailer: Benoit Blanc Confronts A Classic Locked-Room Murder Mystery

Benoit Blanc is easily one of Daniel Craig's best characters, but fans of the skillful sleuth have gone hungry as of late. Blanc hasn't solved an on-screen mystery since Rian Johnson outdid himself with 2022's hilarious "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," the second installment in what viewers no doubt hope will be a long-running franchise. Now, fortunately, "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery" is almost here. 

The first look/announcement teaser for "Wake Up Dead Man" (which released back in May) previously indicated that the movie might be somewhat darker than its predecessors, thanks to its ominously gothic upstate New York setting and general church-themed spookiness. Don't let the looks deceive you, though. Speaking in an interview with Netflix's Tudum website, Johnson confirmed that the spirit of the property is still very much present here. "It's more similar to the first 'Knives Out' in that it gets back to the real origins of the genre, which predate Agatha Christie, going back to Edgar Allan Poe," the filmmaker explained. "It's still a Benoit Blanc mystery, so it's funny and fun, but it's set in an old stone church, there are lots of graveyards."

"Wake Up Dead Man" will finally make its way into select theaters in November before streaming on Netflix in December. Before that, however, you can get a sneak peek at the film by checking out the newly-unveiled trailer (see above).

A murder dressed up as a miracle? A man of faith who seemingly ends his own life? An "impossible crime" that leaves an entire community searching for answers? Yeah, that sounds like exactly the kind of mystery that only Benoit Blanc could solve. Filmmaker Rian Johnson has promised that "Wake Up Dead Man" would feel separate and distinct from both previous entries in the murder-mystery franchise, and that certainly appears to be the case. As seen in a video of his introduction before the world premiere screening at the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival, the writer/director teased how this third film would return to the roots of the whodunnit genre. Yes, the rumors are true: He's taking us back to church (quite literally) as things go full Gothic.

Of course, he won't be going it alone. Josh Brolin appears as the deceased victim/preacher Jefferson Micks, while "Challengers" star Josh O'Connor seems to be taking up the classic sidekick role of the Watson to Benoit Blanc's Sherlock as Rev. Jud Duplenticy. Elsewhere, Mila Kunis is officer Geraldine Scott, a cop tasked with lending as much assistance as she can during the investigation. That leaves us with a gaggle of churchgoing suspects, any of whom might've been the one to commit such an "unholy" murder – Glenn Close as Martha Delacroix, Jeremy Renner as Dr. Nat Sharp, Kerry Washington as Vera Draven, Andrew Scott as Lee Ross, "Alien: Romulus" star Cailee Spaeny as Simone Vivane, Daryl McCormack as Cy Draven, and Thomas Haden Church as Samson Holt.

Officially (and somewhat clunkily) titled "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery," the cozy murder movie will begin a limited theatrical release on November 26, 2025, before heading to streaming on Netflix December 12, 2025.