Wake Up Dead Man has arrived in London, just in time for spooky season.
Director-writer Rian Johnson ushered in the BFI London Film Festival Wednesday night with the hotly anticipated third installment of his Knives Out series, out on Netflix Dec. 12 and starring Daniel Craig as the fan-favorite detective Benoit Blanc.
Joining the filmmaker at the October film fest on the Royal Festival Hall’s red carpet were stars Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Andrew Scott, Mila Kunis, Kerry Washington, Cailee Spaeny and Daryl McCormack, who round out a colorful new cast of suspects as Blanc tackles his most dangerous case yet. Josh O’Connor, who leads as Father Jud, attempting to save the flock of churchgoers at an upstate New York parish, was not in attendance at the screening.
Johnson confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter on the carpet that this is his most personal Knives Out film yet: “It’s about faith and religion. I grew up very religious. I’m not anymore, but it’s something that I still have a lot of strong feelings about. So this one was made very much with the intent of digging back into something that was very personal for me.”
On whether he has any plans for Knives Out 4, Johnson smiled. “I got nothing. If you have anything, I’ll take it. I think it’s good to totally empty the well and then start from scratch on the next one.”
He continued, lauding Craig’s talent: “As long as Daniel and I have fun doing it and he wants to do them, as long as audiences like them, and also as long as we can keep challenging ourselves and coming up with something that’s genuinely new. We’re on the same page that the moment, it feels like we’re just turning the crank on another one.”
Oscar-winning star Close went into detail about what made Johnson’s script stand out from others she’s read. “He’s a great writer, and he’s a wonderful director, and he knows how to cast. I mean, those three elements,” the U.S. star told THR. “He has incredible production people that he’s worked with. So the DP, the costumer, they all count and they all have huge respect for each other. It’s a respectful, fun, intelligent experience, but we had a lot of fun.”
McCormack, playing a failed politician-turned-YouTuber in Wake Up Dead Man, also elaborated on learning from Johnson’s superstar ensemble. “I think every job you get, you get a chance to witness how people work and and you get to just learn from people, and particularly like Glenn [Close] or Josh Brolin, these people have been working for years, so that’s always a learning curve,” he said. “But I think the biggest thing I learned is just how much an environment that’s set the tone can really help you, as an actor, thrive. Ryan and Daniel have done an amazing job of just making this the most welcoming experience.”
“I know for Rian, this is his most personal of the three,” continued McCormack. “I think that feels special too, that I get to be a part of one that very much means a lot to him.”
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last month. THR‘s chief film critic David Rooney highlighted O’Connor as a scene-stealer in his take on the murder mystery.
The BFI London Film Festival 2025 runs Oct. 8-19 with a star-studded lineup of premieres. On Friday, George Clooney and Noah Baumbach will present another Netflix film, Jay Kelly, and Emma Stone will reteam with Yorgos Lanthimos and Jesse Plemons for the U.K. premiere of Bugonia.