One of Netflix’s Biggest Franchises Just Returned With a New Movie

Netflix has come a long way since the release of its first original film, Beasts of No Nation, in 2015. In the decade since, the streamer has teamed up with some of the best in Hollywood to release hit after hit, earning awards and high critical praise along the way. Netflix subscribers browsing the streaming catalog today have no shortage of original titles to choose from, and one of the streamer’s best franchises just returned with an all-new movie.

Following its limited theatrical release in November, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery finally landed on Netflix on December 12th. The movie serves as the third entry in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out film series and brings back Daniel Craig as master detective Benoit Blanc, who teams up with a young priest to investigate a baffling death inside a small-town church. Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church also star.

Wake up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Solidifies Benoit Blanc’s Mystery Series as a Critical Darling

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If there was any doubt that the Knives Out franchise could avoid a bad case of sequelitis, Wake Up Dead Man offers plenty of reassurance. The movie earned a 93% critic score and 94% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes to continue the franchise’s Certified Fresh” and “Verified Hot” trend, cementing the series’ status as a modern whodunnit classic.

Dubbed “the best one of the franchise yet” by the San Francisco Chronicle’s G. Allen Johnson, Wake Up Dead Man delivers a darker, more complex, and emotionally resonant story as it moves beyond the wealth-based intrigue of the previous installments to tackle heavier subjects like faith, disinformation, and forgiveness. Mattie Lucas wrote for From the Front Row, “It’s every bit as witty and fun as its predecessors, but Wake Up Dead Man takes things one step further to become a surprisingly potent rumination on the nature of faith.” Consequence’s Liz Shannon Miller wrote that the movie “feels less like the third movie in an ongoing series of mysteries and more like the confident Season 3 of a prestige TV show — one where the creators feel fully seated in their powers, certain to deliver something captivating.”

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Outside of a richer story and Johnson’s mastery of the whodunit genre, Wake Up Dead Man has also earned high praise for its cast. Craig once again shines as Benoit Blanc, and O’Connor’s portrayal of Father Judd grounds the mystery with heart and vulnerability, serving as a perfect foil to Blanc.

Will There Be a Knives Out 4?

The Knives Out franchise likely won’t end as a trilogy. Netflix hasn’t officially greenlit Knives Out 4 just yet, but with the continued success of the first three films, a fourth movie seems likely. Johnson told The Hollywood Reporter in November that he feels “energized after making this one,” and he and Craig “are already starting to formulate” ideas for a fourth film. As for what another movie could look like, Johnson told ComicBook, “At this point I like the idea of having a new group of folks each time. I think that’s fun for the audience.” He added that he has a “wish list” of actors for future Knives Out movies.

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