‘Knives Out 3’ Cast Guide: See Who’s Joining Daniel Craig in ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ (2024)

May 29, 2024 4:21pm PT

‘Knives Out 3’ Cast Guide: See Who’s Joining Daniel Craig in ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ (1)

Rian Johnson’s whodunnit franchise will soon notch its third installment with the coming production of “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” pulling its title from the song by U2. While plot details remain under wraps, Johnson recently announced the return of Detective Benoit Blanc, played by series mainstay Daniel Craig, in a 45-second teaser posted to X.

The original “Knives Out”, released in 2019, followed Blanc as he investigated the mysterious circ*mstances behind the death of mystery novelist Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). The follow-up “Glass Onion” came as a Netflix original in 2022 and saw Blanc travel to the private island of eccentric billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) to solve an impossibly puzzling murder.

“Knives Out” is known for its expansive ensemble of characters, with previous cast members including Chris Evans, Dave Bautista, Kate Hudson, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Hugh Grant and more. See below who has been slated to join this latest chapter in the “Knives Out” series of films.

Daniel Craig
Any “Knives Out” film would be incomplete without Daniel Craig as the Southern fried sleuth Benoit Blanc, who has been the protagonist of every “Knives Out Mystery” thus far. Although not much is known about his background, Blanc moves with the irresistible charm of a classic gentleman detective.
Josh O'Connor
Josh O’Connor joins the “Wake Up Dead Man” cast hot off his leading role in the steamy tennis drama “Challengers.” O’Connor has had a very busy 2024, also starring in Alice Rohrwacher’s archeological thriller “La Chimera,” which had its U.S. release in March after debuting at Cannes last year.
Cailee Spaeny
Cailee Spaeny joins the “Wake Up Dead Man” cast having just starred in A24’s political thriller “Civil War.” Spaeny’s breakout performance came with the titular role of Sofia Coppola’s “Pricilla” and time will tell how her talents adapt to high concept production of the latest “Knives Out.”
Andrew Scott
“All of Us Strangers” and “Fleabag” star Andrew Scott has also joined the “Wake Up Dead Man” cast as exclusively reported by Variety. Scott appears in the 20th season of Variety’s “Actors on Actors” and most recently led the Netflix original series “Ripley” as the mysterious globe-trotting con man.
Kerry Washington
“Scandal” star Kerry Washington has also joined the cast of “Wake Up Dead Man.” Washington’s latest film role was in 2022 as fairy godmother Professor Dovey in Netflix’s adaptation of “The School of Good and Evil.”
Glenn Close
The eight-time Oscar-nominated actress will bring her decades of Hollywood experience to the “Wake Up Dead Man” cast. Variety recently reported that Close will also soon star in the Simon Curtis comedy “Encore,” opposite Jeremy Irons and Henry Winkler.
Jeremy Renner
Jeremy Renner officially joins the “Wake Up Dead Man” cast after his fictional “Renning Hot” hot sauce appeared in “Glass Onion.” The “Avengers” star has returned to movies after a snow plow accident in January 2023 resulted in blunt chest trauma and 30 broken bones.
Mila Kunis
“Bad Moms” star Mila Kunis is now a possible culprit in “Wake Up Dead Man.” Kunis takes on the role having last served as the star and producer of Netflix’s adaptation of “Luckiest Girl Alive.”
Daryl McCormack
“Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” actor Daryl McCormack is now a suspect in “Wake Up Dead Man.” The 31-year-old Irish actor comes to the whodunit franchise having last played Detective Colman Akande in the Paramount+ crime series “The Woman in the Wall.”
Josh Brolin
After becoming a staple of the MCU and the “Duniverse,” Josh Brolin joins the “Knives Out” cinematic universe with his upcoming role in “Wake Up Dead Man.” Brolin comes to “Knives Out 3” having recently starred as Gurney Halleck in the highest-grossing film of 2024, “Dune: Part 2.”