Rian Johnson‘s upcoming “Wake Up Dead Man” may be the second sequel in his two-picture deal with Netflix, but he wants to keep making “Knives Out” mysteries.
Variety reports that the director expressed interest in continuing to team up with Daniel Craig on the murder mystery franchise even though his contract with the streamer is over. “I don’t feel burnt out doing these at all. If anything I feel energized after doing this one,” the director said at a talk at the BFI London Film Festival today. “So as long as audiences want to keep seeing it, and Daniel and I are still having fun making them and still feel like we can come up with stuff that feels not just fresh, but a fresh challenge for us, I think that’ll translate to a new experience for the audience.”
After 2019’s “Knives Out” became a surprise box office hit, Netflix paid Johnson $450 million for the rights to two sequels. The first, “Glass Onion,” reached audiences in 2022, with Craig and Johnson bristling at Netflix for giving the film only a one-week “sneak preview” release in theaters. “Wake Up Dead Man” had its world premiere at TIFF 2025 last month to positive reviews. Netflix will give the new sequel two weeks in theaters, starting on November 26, before it premieres on the streamer on December 12.
Will a two-week theatrical run be enough for Johnson to continue making “Knives Out” films with Netflix, or will he try and take the franchise elsewhere, possibly to Lionsgate, distributor of the 2019 film? It may come down to whether “Wake Up Dead Man” continues the series’ winning formula. Craig returns in the sequel as Southern detective Benoit Blanc, tasked with solving a seemingly impossible murder, with the culprit among a star-studded ensemble cast. Co-stars for Craig this time around include Josh O’Connor, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Cailee Spaeny, Kerry Washington, Glenn Close, Andrew Scott, Daryl McCormack, and more. As noted earlier, early reactions to “Wake Up Dead Man” praise the film, so Netflix and Johnson should expect a successful rollout later this year.
But it remains to be seen if Johnson will move on to something else after the sequel’s festival run and release are over. “For now, I’d be thrilled to keep making these for the rest of my life,” he told Variety. That may happen, but whether or not Netflix stays involved is up in the air.
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