'Knives Out 4' could be next: Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig are already sketching Benoit Blanc's next case
If you love a good puzzle with a wink and a sting, here's the news you were hoping for. Rian Johnson (movies and tv series) says he and Daniel Craig (movies and tv series) have started cooking up ideas for another Benoit Blanc (movies and tv series) mystery. Not a guarantee, but a pretty loud hint that this series has gas left in the tank.
Johnson told The Hollywood Reporter he and Craig are "already starting to formulate" what a fourth film could be. And he was plain about it: if the stories keep feeling fresh, why stop?
Note: There's a video trailer available for the new film below. We'll add it right after this story.
First up: 'Wake Up Dead Man' lands at the end of the month
Before we get ahead of ourselves, there's a new case on the board. 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' arrives in late November, with Benoit Blanc heading to upstate New York to look into a crime at a small Catholic church. It's a moodier setup, with faith and power sitting right next to each other in the pews.
The cast is stacked, per usual. Johnson's kept his favorite trick: swap the ensemble every time so nothing goes stale.
- Josh Brolin (movies and tv series)
- Mila Kunis (movies and tv series)
- Jeremy Renner (movies and tv series)
- Josh O'Connor (movies and tv series)
No spoilers here. But the tension this round points toward something Johnson's been circling for a while-how institutions get used. In earlier films he poked at class and xenophobia; here he's zeroing in on the political use of religion. That's not academic talk. It's about people, choices, and the stories families tell themselves to sleep at night.
Why a fourth film actually makes sense
Back in 2021, Johnson struck a deal with Netflix for two sequels to the original 'Knives Out.' Technically, that's the obligation. But the model he's built-self-contained mysteries, brand-new casts, Craig anchoring with that honeyed Southern drawl-keeps giving him room to try something different each time. That freedom shows.
Here's what this could mean. If 'Wake Up Dead Man' hits with audiences the way the first two did, don't be shocked if Netflix moves fast on a fourth. New cast. New setting. Same detective, walking into another room full of bad alibis.
The bottom line
Fans get a fresh Blanc case in a matter of days, and the creative team is already peeking past it. That's a good sign. It says this isn't just a franchise running on fumes-it's a filmmaker finding new angles on the classic whodunit, one locked room at a time.
And if you're tracking this for your newsroom or your outlet's calendar: keep an eye on late-November rollout details and early audience reaction. That's likely when the fourth-film chatter turns into something more concrete.
Heads up: a trailer video for 'Wake Up Dead Man' appears below.
