Rian Johnson Reveals Nothing Is Off the Table for the Future of Knives Out, And There’s One Actor He Really Wants

Since the first Knives Out premiered in 2019, Rian Johnson has revitalized the whodunnit mystery in a way that hasn’t been done on the big screen in years. Paired with Daniel Craig as the quirky and hilarious detective Benoit Blanc, the two have sliced out a corner in movies that no one else is operating in. The success of the first film, which grossed over $300 million at the global box office and was nominated for a Best Original Screenplay Oscar, gave way to the continued adventures of Blanc with Netflix ponying up a huge sum to make the second and third films, 2022’s Glass Onion and this year’s Wake Up Dead Man.

Now playing in theaters and set to stream on Netflix on December 12, Wake Up Dead Man takes a distinct turn from its predecessors in the series. Though it features an all-new murder mystery with a fresh ensemble cast of Hollywood’s best, the film also has a dark tone, a more gothic look overall, and even has Blanc take a bit of a backseat to one of the other characters. In short, it proves that the Knives Out series is still trying new things, and speaking with ComicBook about the new movie, Johnson made it clear that the future of the series is wide open.

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Rian Johnson, who has written and directed all three movies in the Knives Out series, made it clear in our interview that even though many of his actors want to return to their characters and make another appearance, he doesn’t necessarily see that as something he wants to explore.

“I love the fact that each one of these is entirely its own case, entirely its own mystery. Also, I love actors, I want to keep working with new actors, too,” Johnson said when asked if any stars might ever return. “At this point I like the idea of having a new group of folks each time. I think that’s fun for the audience. I have a wish list. Basically, every actor in Hollywood I want to work with. I want to be out of actors by the time we finish this series.”

When we asked if Johnson had a white whale he wanted to appear in the series, someone fans could manifest into happening, he revealed the answer is yes, but he’s also quite superstitious.

“There is (an actor he wants),” Johnson teased. “But I think there’s a fine line between manifesting and jinxing. I don’t want to jinx it.”

Considering the future of the series, we also posed a unique question to Johnson about the series, if he would ever have Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc be the character that’s in the most danger the entire time. Johnson wouldn’t rule it out, but he also noted there’s a meta-reason why that may not actually work in a Knives Out movie.

“It’s an interesting question. I mean, Agatha Christie kind of flirted with it with Poirot. It’s a hard thing, though, because as an audience, you never really are going to fear for Benoit Blanc’s life. You know that I love making these movies too much to ever kill Blanc. So, it’s an interesting thing, but I would say all cards are on the table with this series. That’s part of what’s fun of it for me is the notion these movies can really be anything. So, let’s test the boundaries of what they can do.”

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is now playing in theaters and begins streaming on Netflix on December 12.