How Rian Johnson turned a locked-room murder mystery into a meditation on faith
In short: In the third Knives Out mystery, detective Benoit Blanc investigates the death of a priest in a secluded parish. Director Rian Johnson moves away from lavish settings, opting for a grounded, church-based puzzle that explores themes of service, bitterness, and the complexities of organized religion through a sharp, genre-defying lens.
Wake Up Dead Man, released in 2025, marks the third installment of the Knives Out series. Directed by Rian Johnson, the film stars Daniel Craig as master detective Benoit Blanc, who is summoned to an upstate New York parish to investigate the death of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks. Wicks is found dead in a locked room with a knife in his back, making the parish's new priest, Jud Duplenticy, the primary suspect. The narrative unfolds as a complex puzzle involving a missing fortune, a hidden diamond, and a web of secrets among the congregation.
Johnson, who spent over eight months contemplating the script, sought to explore religious themes with nuance, drawing from his own upbringing in Evangelicalism while choosing Catholicism for its aesthetic depth. He framed the murder mystery as a 'gamified' genre, heavily influenced by the works of Agatha Christie, Edgar Allan Poe, and John Dickson Carr. The film’s title is derived from a folk song, though Johnson acknowledges a connection to a U2 track of the same name. The production, which began in June 2024, utilized locations in both England and New York to create its distinct atmosphere.
The film received positive critical reception, with a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics praised the introspective nature of the story and the performances of the ensemble cast, which includes Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, and Josh Brolin. While Johnson initially had no plans for a fourth film following the completion of this project, he and Craig have since begun formulating new conceptual ideas. The film serves as a departure from the series' previous entries, prioritizing a soulful fixation on faith and character-driven tension over the expected opulence of the franchise.
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