A Q&A with Rian Johnson and the Cast of ‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’

This year’s Toronto International Film Festival introduced us to Benoit Blanc’s most peculiar murder case yet in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

“One of the things that I love about the murder mystery genre is that it’s a very broad spectrum in terms of the tones and stories within it,” Director Rian Johnson explained to the audience ahead of the world premiere. “Even within Agatha Christie’s books, she covered a lot of bases in the genre. In this film series that’s where we’ve tried to do.”

The previous two Knives Out mysteries have covered everything from cozy family mysteries to summer vacation slashers. However, Johnson teased that this third film pays homage to the genre’s roots.

“We’re going back to the roots of the genre, and the roots lie in Edgar Allan Poe.”

“We are going gothic. We’re going by way of Poe into some John Dickson Carr. We’re going to veer into some G. K. Chesterton with the Father Brown mysteries, and we’re going back to church!” Johnson declared. “Can I get an amen?”

As cast members Daniel Craig, Andrew Scott, Glenn Close, Kerry Washington, Jeremy Renner, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Josh O’Connor, Cailee Spaney, Daryl McCormack, and Producer Ram Bergman joined Johnson on stage after the film, he wasted no time delving into the religious undertones of this sequel.

Johnson wanted the church’s belief system to disrupt Blanc’s process enough to acknowledge the worth of believing in something — even if it’s not a god. “It’s not like his compass ever wavers in terms of there being a miracle here. The thing he learns from Jud is the notion of doing something — an act of grace — for the person that he usually would be nailing.”

Josh O’Connor enjoyed how the film explores the clashing ideologies between his character, Rev. Jud Duplenticy, and Brolin’s sinister Monsignor Jefferson Wicks.

“I loved this idea of two people who believe in the same god, but have two polar opposite views of that god. One is a loving and forgiving god, and one is a sort of fearful, hateful, Josh Brolin god,” O’Connor mused.

“This is something from the first movie — even though it seems like a puzzle, it’s a movie. It needs to work as a roller coaster ride, not as a crossword puzzle. If you’re focused on the audience trying to figure it out, then that’s going to get boring real quick. It’s all about the characters. It’s all about the actual story, as opposed to crumbs and clues,” Johnson agreed.

“The best mystery writers were onto this, the notion that it’s a myth that you should be able to solve a great Agatha Christie story. I think the reality is she’s keeping you hooked with a great story, and the ending needs to be satisfying.”

So how did the idea to take Benoit Blanc’s zany monologues to church come about?

“I remember after the London premiere of Glass Onion, Daniel and I sitting down, and the one thing we knew was it would be fun to do something with this darker tone. Something a little more grounded next time.” Johnson recalled.

“We had a blast making Glass Onion. It was exactly what we wanted to make. With the third movie, we wanted to show the range of these movies and that they are really going to have their own identity with each one. Plus, I grew up very, very religious. I’m not religious anymore. I have a lot of complicated feelings about it. That was something I wanted to work into it and and write about.”

Character-driven storytelling isn’t the only draw of these films. So is the revolving door of star-studded casts that occupy each new world Johnson creates. For the actors tapped to join these movies, it’s a dream call to answer.

“When I got the phone call, it was like something out of heaven,” Glenn Close, who plays Sister Martha Delacroix, recalled. “I never thought of myself in one of the Knives Out movies, and I was so thrilled to be included. We became this wonderful ensemble. We kept each other company through the whole shoot, wherever we were, laughing and reading and getting to know each other. It is a great gift to have such an intense experience with people that you know will be your dear friends for the rest of your life.”

“So basically, what Glenn is saying is it was an orgy,” Brolin joked.

As for others in the cast, their experience coming on board was a little different. “I remember the enticing offer being, if you want to come to this party, you’re going to play a really sad dad,” Jeremy Renner recalled.

As for Mila Kunis, she didn’t wait for the phone call. “I met with Ryan, and he didn’t offer me anything. I instead offered up myself to be in the movie and he goes, ‘I think you should read the script. ‘ Nope, I don’t need to, I’ll do it. And he’s like, ‘You should read it, okay?’ And then I really wanted to be in it.”

For Kerry Washington, the scenes with Close and O’Connor really encapsulate the experience this ensemble had on set.

“I got so emotional in that moment when Glenn’s character looks at Josh and says, ‘You’re good at this.’ We all felt like that every day, watching each other. You get called to be on a team of all-stars, and you watch each other breathe life into these incredibly written characters.”

“Daniel’s such a phenomenal leader, and he’s the through line of all these films,” Washington continued. “An ensemble production means we’re going to share the weight, and we’re going to share the spotlight. So there was just so much generosity within the company and real, genuine love. It feels like you had maybe as much fun watching it as we had making it.”

“The process doesn’t necessarily equal the product. Sometimes you have a great time doing something, and the product doesn’t match the fun time that you had. I hope you’re picking up that we had an absolute ball together,” Andrew Scott added.

As for whether Wake Up Dead Man is a product worthy of the good vibes had on set, Cailee Spaney summed up everyone’s thoughts perfectly: “I mean, a big swing and a freaking home run!”

—

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery drops in select theaters on November 26 and on Netflix December 12.

How excited are you for Wake Up Dead Man? Share your thoughts in the comments below and check out our review of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery right here.

Follow us on X and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!