Will Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Continue the Franchise's MCU Tradition?

Will Jeremy Renner be the murderer in Wake Up Dead Man?

By Jamie Jirak

Rian Johnson's third Benoit Blanc mystery starring Daniel Craig is heading into production soon, and it was revealed this week that the movie will be titled Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. The film's cast was announced this week, and one of the big names on the roster is Jeremy Renner. Many fans are speculating if Renner is playing himself in the film due to the actor being mentioned in the previous installment, Glass Onion. However, others think he's a shoo-in to be the killer, because of his film history... 

Renner is best known for playing Clint Barton/Hawkeye in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he's not the first MCU actor to appear in Johnson's whodunnit films. Chris Evans, who played Steve Rogers/Captain America in the MCU, starred in Knives Out. Not only was he a major part of the film, but he was also revealed to be the murderer. In the movie's sequel, Glass Onion, Edward Norton was the murderer. Of course, Norton played Bruce Banner/Hulk in The Incredible Hulk before Mark Ruffalo took over the role in The Avengers. 

Many film fans have been sharing this tweet from Eric Goldman, who predicted the Wake Up Dead Man killer would be a Marvel star before Renner was even cast:

It's worth noting that one MCU actor didn't survive the events of Glass Onion. Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista died in the sequel, which means not all Marvel actors are safe. While it's likely a coincidence Evans and Norton were both Marvel alums who played the villains in Knives Out and Glass Onion (after all, there are a LOT of Marvel actors out there), it would be pretty funny if Johnson decides to make Renner the murderer of Wake Up Dead Man. 

What Is Wake Up Dead Man About?

The plot of Wake Up Dead Man is currently unknown, but there are already a lot of theories going around online. In addition to Craig and Renner, the new film stars Josh O'Connor, Kerry Washington, Glenn Close, Cailee Spaeny, Andrew Scott, Jeremy Renner, Mila Kunis, and Daryl McCormack.

"I love everything about whodunnits, but one of the things I love most is how malleable the genre is. There's a whole tonal spectrum from Carr to Christie, and getting to explore that range is one of the most exciting things about making Benoit Blanc movies," Rian Johnson recently explained on Twitter. "We're about to go into production on the 3rd one, and I'm very, very excited to share the title, which gives a little hint of where it's going." 

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"It's coming along. I obviously couldn't work during the strike, and now that it's over, I'm diving in full force, and so it's coming along," Johnson previously said of the project. "I've got the premise, I've got the setting, I've got what the movie is in my head. It's just a matter of writing the damn thing."

Stay tuned for more updates on Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. 

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