Trailer Reaction – Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Daniel Craig doing the Southern accent again.

That’s it. That’s the tweet. That’s the whole trailer reaction.

I’m kidding. Kind of. But also that accent remains genuinely delightful. Craig was stuck playing stoic British spy for so long that watching him cut loose as Benoit Blanc — theatrical, flamboyant, enjoying himself — feels like a gift.

Wake Up Dead Man is the third Knives Out movie and the trailer suggests Rian Johnson is doing religion this time. The setting appears to be a Catholic retreat or compound of some kind. There’s talk of faith and doubt. Someone is dead and everyone is a suspect. You know the drill.

The cast is typically stacked. Jeremy Renner is back in action movie shape. Cailee Spaeny from Priscilla. Mila Kunis doing something against type. Josh O’Connor being probably sinister because he has that face. Andrew Scott who should be in everything.

Johnson’s formula works. Take Agatha Christie structures. Add class commentary. Populate with character actors having the time of their lives. Let Daniel Craig do whatever Daniel Craig wants to do. The first Knives Out was great. Glass Onion was slightly less great but still enjoyable.

The religious setting interests me. Johnson has been dancing around American institutions — old money family, tech billionaire class — and the Church is. I mean. Ripe for critique. Whether he does something interesting with it or just uses the aesthetic for vibes remains to be seen.

Netflix is releasing this in December. No theatrical exclusivity which is a shame because these movies play great with an audience. The collective gasp when the twist lands. The communal laughter at the jokes. That’s lost on the couch.

But still. Benoit Blanc is back. The accent is back. The game is afoot.

I’m in.