Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is back in another one of Rian Johnson’s fan-favourite whodunit films, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. This time, the world’s greatest detective finds himself called to church after a senior priest is killed with his congregation gathered for a sermon.
The trailer, released by Netflix on Monday, shows firebrand priest Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin) walk into a chamber behind his pulpit in full view of church goers and closing the only door leading in. When the door is opened, Wicks is dead, with no sign of anyone else in the room. As the impossible mystery shakes their small town, the people of Chimney Rock have no choice but to call on Blanc to save the day.
Craig and Brolin are joined in the star-studded cast by Josh O’Connor — of The Crown fame — as Father Jud Duplenticy, Wicks’ deputy. The cast also features big names such as Mila Kunis, Kerry Washington, Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner and Andrew Scott.
Wake Up Dead Man premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday, with Johnson speaking to Reuters at the event. “We’re trying to do something kind of different each time,” the director said, adding, “The first one was kind of a cosy mystery. The second one was a big kind of broad vacation comedy mystery. This one is a little more gothic in tone, it’s a little darker, but I think it’s still very fun.”
The BBC called it the “most playful” film in the franchise, while The Guardian calls it “murderously good”. With a 96 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film is set for a limited theatre release on November 26, followed by a Netflix release on December 12.