The world premiere for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery on Saturday night at the Toronto Film Festival kicked off more like a religious service than a glitzy, star-studded affair when director Rian Johnson came on stage to introduce his latest murder mystery for Netflix.
“We’re going back to church. Can I get an Amen?” Johnson asked the capacity Princess of Wales Theatre audience with a dramatic call-back. “One more, give me an Amen!” he added.
He got those amens and sustained applause when the final credits rolled after a two hour screening. And what emerged with the first look in Toronto was a third Knives Out mystery for Netflix with a darker tone and a commentary on the role of faith and logic in today’s divisive times.
During the post-screening Q&A, Johnson, joined on stage by his A-list cast, talked about wrestling with his own religious faith when hammering out his third Knives Out mystery. “I grew up very religious. I’m not religious anymore. I have a lot of complicated feelings about it. And I wanted to kind of work into it and write about that. And you have a script at the end of it,” he explained.
The latest Knives Out whodunnit will fit well in Trumpian times as it’s set in a small town church riven by an ecclesiastical power struggle between one priest, played by Josh Brolin, who is more of a rapacious cult leader, and a second priest (Josh O’Connor), who shows his church members human grace and fallibility.
As to how audiences for Wake Up the Dead ultimately solve the latest crime mystery with their own viewing, Johnson insisted his Knives Out films remain above all else entertainment. “It’s a movie, and it needs to work as a roller coaster ride, not a crossword puzzle. If you’re focused on the audience trying to figure it out, then that’s going to get boring really quick. It’s all about the characters. It’s all about actual story,” the director said.
Daniel Craig reprises his role as detective Benoit Blanc, only in the third installment his character is gentler and kinder as he solves his latest mystery, rather than looking to nail a killer.
Craig during the Q&A praised Johnson for pulling off the latest ensemble Knives Out mystery with Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Glenn Close and Kerry Washington and other heavy-hitters among the cast. “Putting this many stars into one film is literally the definition of herding cats. It’s logistically a nightmare. And this is the man that put it together and led us,” Craig said.
Wake Up Dead Man will be released on Dec. 12, in time for an awards run. Johnson has been Oscar-nominated nominated twice for his Knives Out films, one for original and another for adapted screenplay.
The Toronto Film Festival runs through to Sept. 14.