Sun Dec 14 09:30:00 UTC 2025: News Article:

Rian Johnson’s Next ‘Knives Out’ Mystery Plunges Benoit Blanc into Faith and Murder

Netflix’s third installment in the “Knives Out” saga, titled “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” is set to be director Rian Johnson’s most personal and intricate yet. The film, starring Daniel Craig as the returning Southern sleuth Benoit Blanc, will see the detective investigating a baffling murder within a small parish in upstate New York.

Johnson revealed that the concept for the film emerged from late-night conversations with Craig over cigars, focusing on exploring themes of faith and the church. “I wanted to make a movie about faith. I wanted to make a movie about the church,” Johnson said. He drew inspiration from his own Christian upbringing, which he describes as a significant part of his life, now viewed with “complicated feelings.”

The film takes place at Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude, a small parish in upstate New York, and is populated by a cast of characters including Josh Brolin, who plays the monsignor Jefferson Wicks, Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church. Josh O’Connor plays a young priest sent to the church as punishment named Father Jud Duplenticy, where he clashes with Wicks. Wicks is found dead, pulling Blanc and local chief of police Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) into a web of secrets and complex religious themes.

Johnson cites the G.K. Chesterton “Father Brown” mysteries as a key influence, appreciating the detective priest’s ability to understand human fallibility as a tool for solving crimes. He emphasizes that the film aims to explore faith and morality with honesty and humor, avoiding a didactic tone.

“Wake Up Dead Man” is infused with Biblical references, and the production design heavily incorporates religious symbolism. The ambo, or pulpit, of the church is designed to resemble the hull of a ship, drawing parallels with Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick.”

Johnson promises a mystery so complex, it will test even Blanc’s renowned deduction skills. He describes it as the hardest script he’s ever written, promising a “locked-door mystery” that digs deep into personal beliefs and cultural intersections with faith.

Prepare for twists, turns, and a heavy dose of theological intrigue when “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” arrives on Netflix.

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