‘Wake Up Dead Man’ Ignites TIFF wiht Star Power and Gothic Mystery
TORONTO - Rian Johnson’s highly anticipated third installment in the “Knives Out” series, “Wake Up Dead Man,” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday, delivering a raucous debut filled with familiar wit and a darker, more enterprising narrative.The film, starring Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, boasts an ensemble cast including Josh O’Connor, Josh Brolin, Glenn Close, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Daryl mccormack, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington, Thomas Haden Church, and Cailee spaeny.
The premiere marks a significant moment for the franchise, which began as a surprise hit with Lionsgate in 2019, grossing $312 million worldwide, before Netflix acquired the sequels for $400 million.While Netflix has largely focused on streaming, it gave “Glass Onion: Knives Out 2” a limited theatrical release in 2022, grossing an estimated $15 million in its first week across 696 theaters. “Wake Up Dead Man” will follow a similar strategy, opening in select theaters on November 26 for a two-week run before debuting on Netflix December 12.
Johnson, reflecting on the evolution of the series, noted the parallels to the premieres of his first two mysteries.He described “Wake up Dead Man” as a return to the roots of the genre, drawing inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe, John Dickson Carr, and G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown mysteries. “The first one was kind of a cozy, Agatha Christie family mystery. The second one was a big blow-out vacation mystery. and with this third one, we’re going back to the roots of the genre,” Johnson said.
The film centers on a murder case involving a local church, exploring themes of truth, lies, and grace. Cast members expressed enthusiasm for joining the ”Knives Out” universe,with Jeremy Renner calling it “like winning the lottery” and Kerry Washington comparing it to joining an all-star team. Daniel Craig, acknowledging the challenge of managing the large cast, quipped, “Putting this many stars into one film is literally like herding cats.”