New sequel, new Benoit Blanc! After a couple weeks of exciting casting announcements for the upcoming film Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, writer-director Rian Johnson shared a photo of Daniel Craig on set as filming officially begins. For the first time, Craig's detective character dons a recognizably updated appearance.
On June 10, Johnson posted a black and white photo of Craig in costume as Benoit Blanc along with the announcement that cameras started rolling on the highly anticipated second sequel. In the photo, Craig wears a classic Benoit Blanc suit and holds a hat in his hand. But his hair isn't short like in the first two movies. It's long! (If you're scrolling quickly, you'd think it's Woody Harrelson as Haymitch in The Hunger Games.)
It's unclear if Craig grew out his hair for Wake Up Dead Man or if he's wearing a wig for the film shoot, but either way, Benoit Blanc definitely has a new hairstyle. Currently, Netflix and Johnson haven't shared any plot details or character names for the two handfuls of new cast members, but the length and style of Blanc's hair could be a slight tease of the film's overall theme. It's a little more rugged for the typically refined detective, which is fitting for his "most dangerous case yet."
Check out Johnson's announcement and photo below!
Filming on Knives Out 3 kicking off in June 2024 comes on the heels of a whirlwind of casting announcements, which began in late May with the additions of Josh O'Connor, Cailee Spaeny, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington, Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner, Mila Kunis, Daryl McCormack, Josh Brolin, and Thomas Haden Church. Surely, a few more casting announcements are in the cards before filming wraps, but the cast is already so stacked with so many fresh talents and proven stars.
On the cast he compiled for Wake Up Dead Man, Johnson explained to Netflix's Tudum that they're among his favorite actors and they all get along.
"We’ve been very lucky with each of these movies to have gathered some of my favorite actors on the planet, and that’s absolutely the case here. They’re also all lovely folks who get along, which is the dinner party aspect of it. When you’re making an ensemble movie like this I think that’s key."Rian Johnson
Netflix has already confirmed that we will be seeing this stellar cast in action in 2025 when the movie makes its streaming debut. Considering the previous entry, Glass Onion, filmed between June and September 2021 and was released on Netflix in December 2022, we could be looking at a similar release timeframe. All we know is, the movie's release can't get here fast enough. We need to know how all these pieces, including Blanc's new hairdo, all come together.
Stay tuned for more Knives Out 3 news and updates from Netflix Life!