Posted in: Lionsgate, Movies, Netflix | Tagged: glass onion, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Knives Out, wake up dead man, wake up dead man: a knives mystery

Rian Johnson Doesn't Consider Knives Out IP So No One Else Will Direct

Wake Up Dead Man director Rian Johnson doesn't consider the Knives Out movies an IP, which means he'll be the only one directing; if he doesn't want to make one, it isn't happening.

When Netflix bought the next two sequels to Knives Out, the concept of a title was one of the things people were talking about in the lead-up to the second film. Each of these films was supposed to stand on its own, but there wasn't an easy way for people who weren't paying attention to see that Glass Onion was a sequel to Knives Out. So that "A Knives Out Mystery" part was added, and it's something director Rian Johnson has been pretty vocal about not liking. So no one should be that surprised when Johnson declared in an interview with Variety that "I don't see it as IP." Because he doesn't see this as an IP, that means, "Each 'Knives Out' film is something I want to make. If that stops being the case, we won't do another one," Johnson explained. No one else is going to direct one of these films, and heading out of the Netflix deal, producer Ram Bergman clarifies, "It's still our franchise."

While some of the Wake Up Dead Man cast members are pitching ideas that would bring back previous cast members from other Knives Out films, that is very much something Johnson is not interested in doing. Johnson said, "I love the fact that each one of these is entirely its own case, entirely its own mystery," Johnson asserts. "I love actors, I want to keep working with new actors, too. At this point, I like the idea of having a new group of folks each time." Right now, it's unclear where the rights for the Knives Out films are ultimately going to end up. Johnson wasn't happy with the theatrical rollout that Wake Up Dead Man got, but streamers like Netflix tend to be more hands-off than traditional studios. There is good and bad with both, but either way, if more is on the way, we know who will be behind the camera, and we know there will only be one familiar name on the cast list.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery – Summary, Cast List, Release Date

Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) returns for his most dangerous case yet in the third and darkest chapter of Rian Johnson's murder mystery opus. When young priest Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor) is sent to assist charismatic firebrand Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin), it's clear that all is not well in the pews. Wicks's modest-but-devoted flock includes devout church lady Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), circumspect groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church), tightly-wound lawyer Vera Draven, Esq. (Kerry Washington), aspiring politician Cy Draven (Daryl McCormack), town doctor Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), best-selling author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), and concert cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny). After a sudden and seemingly impossible murder rocks the town, the lack of an obvious suspect prompts local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) to join forces with renowned detective Benoit Blanc to unravel a mystery that defies all logic. Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Rian Johnson writes and directs Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, and assembles another all-star, award-winning cast.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is the newest Benoit Blanc whodunnit from writer and director Rian Johnson, starring Daniel Craig, Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church. Wake Up Dead Man will stream on Netflix on December 12th, 2025.

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