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Benoit Blanc is back on the big screen in Knives Out 3, officially titled Wake Up Dead Man, as the whodunnit threequel kicks off its limited theatrical run. Of course, if you can't make it to the multiplex, the movie is also coming to Netflix next month – but, either way, there's no better time to get clued up on Rian Johnson's latest murder mystery.
This time around, Blanc's latest case takes him to a small town in upstate New York, where an "impossible murder" has shaken the community's local Catholic church. His sleuthing skills (and atheism) are tested by new ally Father Jud, Josh O'Connor's young priest making amends for past sins.
We've put together everything you need to know about Wake Up Dead Man right here, from the Knives Out 3 release date to the lowdown on the cast and plot and much more besides. Benoit Blanc's "most dangerous case yet" (and one of our most-anticipated upcoming movies) is upon us, so make sure you're up to date.
Wake Up Dead Man release date
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery was released in theaters for a limited two-week run on November 26, 2025. If you can't catch it on the big screen, though, don't worry: it premieres on Netflix globally on December 12, 2025.
Wake Up Dead Man review
The Knives Out 3 first reactions were overwhelmingly positive, and our own Wake Up Dead Man review had a similar tone. Reviewer Emily Garbutt gave the movie four stars, praising Josh O'Connor's performance and calling it "a funny, sincere sequel that's on par with the original Knives Out" and "a "vast improvement on Glass Onion."
Wake Up Dead Man trailer
The first Knives Out 3 trailer dropped in September 2025, shortly after the movie's world premiere at TIFF. The clip, which you can watch above, gave us our best look yet at the movie, including who the murder victim is this time around. That would be Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, played by Josh Brolin, a priest who's found dead in the middle of a sermon after entering a narrow concrete room... alone.
Wake Up Dead Man cast
Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc in Knives Out 3, acting as the blue-eyed glue that holds each title together, but he's joined by a whole new cast of potential suspects – including Jeremy Renner, who was the subject of a particular condiment-related gag in 2022's Glass Onion.
"Oh, that's Jeremy Renner's small-batch hot sauce," Edward Norton's Miles tells Benoit in the film, after a bite of a fiery canape has him spluttering. "I let him invest. He sends me, like, a pallet every year. Take a few bottles." Bottles with the Hawkeye actor's face on, no less...
Check out the full cast list below:
- Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc
- Josh O'Connor as Rev. Jud Duplenticy
- 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 Vera Draven
- Andrew Scott as Lee Ross
- Cailee Spaeny as Simone Vivane
- Daryl McCormack as Cy Draven
- Thomas Haden Church as Samson Holt
Wake Up Dead Man plot
In Wake Up Dead Man, Josh O'Connor's Father Jud follows in the footsteps of Ana de Armas' Marta and Janelle Monae's Andi to team up with Benoit Blanc to catch the killer.
As for the victim, that's Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, the charismatic leader of the church in Chimney Rock, New York. When he's is found dead in a small, otherwise empty storage closet in the middle of an Easter service, it seems Blanc may have his toughest case yet on his hands.
The suspects? Martha Delacroix, devout Catholic and Wicks' "right-hand woman," local doctor Nat Sharp, uptight lawyer Vera Draven, former bestselling author Lee Ross, retired concert cellist Simone Vivane, aspiring politician Cy Draven, and groundskeeper Samson Holt. And Father Jud, of course...
We won't get into any spoiler territory here, though – you'll have to watch for yourself to see who did the crime.
For more, check out our latest breakdown of the best Netflix movies for some watchlist inspiration.
