Rian Johnson‘s third Knives Out installment, Wake Up Dead Man, will open the 69th BFI London Film Festival.
The cast and crew of the Netflix film, including Daniel Craig in the fan-favorite role of private detective Benoit Blanc, will attend the opening night gala on Oct. 8 at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall.
Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack and Thomas Haden Church round out a colorful new cast of suspects as Blanc tackles his most dangerous case yet.
With Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Johnson continues to evolve his singular approach to storytelling, expanding the foundation laid by Knives Out and Glass Onion. The movie is produced by Johnson and Ram Bergman’s T-Street.
The international premiere of Wake Up Dead Man honors a meaningful history between the director-writer and the BFI LFF. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery closed the 66th edition in 2022 and the first film premiered as the 63rd fest’s Amex gala in 2019.
“We’re honoured to be opening the BFI London Film Festival with Wake Up Dead Man,” said Johnson. “London is the birthplace of the golden age of detective fiction and it’s a thrill to be back!”
Kristy Matheson, festival director, said: “At this 69th edition of the BFI London Film Festival we are inviting audiences to get their spyglass at the ready as we get back on the case with another deliciously fun mystery from director Rian Johnson and his all-star cast with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.”
“Led by Daniel Craig and Josh O’Connor, the film features incredible British and international talent on and off screen who bring a sense of play and verve to the screen, to craft a film that twists, turns and will keep audiences guessing to the final frame. The third of the brilliant Knives Out films we have presented at the LFF, we are delighted to reunite for our special Opening Night,” she added.
American Express remains festival partner this year for the 15th consecutive year.
The movie releases on Netflix Dec. 12.