Knives Out 3 Brings a Bold New Cast Into a Darker, Sharper Mystery
So, there’s been a lot of buzz lately around the cast of Knives Out 3 , officially titled Wake Up Dead Man , and honestly, it sounds like Rian Johnson has gone in a fascinating new direction with this one. While the first two films played in mansions and billionaire playgrounds, this story is set largely around a small-town Catholic church in upstate New York, and the cast has been stacked to match that heavier, more provocative setting.
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At the center of it all is Josh O’Connor, who plays Father Jud Duplenticy, a junior priest trying to do the right thing in a deeply divided parish. His performance has already been described as one of the strongest in the film, and it’s easy to see why. Jud is presented as earnest, flawed, and quietly defiant, someone who believes faith should be about compassion rather than control. That puts him directly at odds with Josh Brolin’s character, Monsignor Jefferson Wicks, an angry and intolerant firebrand priest whose eventual murder kicks off the mystery. Brolin reportedly leans hard into the role, making Wicks both intimidating and disturbingly believable.
Returning once again is Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, the unmistakable Southern-drawled detective who has become the heart of the franchise. This time, Blanc is dropped into a case that’s described as an “impossible crime,” one that almost feels supernatural at first. His skepticism clashes beautifully with the religious setting, and that tension between logic and faith becomes one of the film’s most interesting undercurrents.
The supporting cast is just as impressive. Glenn Close plays Martha, the nosy and fiercely loyal church administrator who seems to know everyone’s secrets. Kerry Washington appears as a sharp, disciplined lawyer tied closely to the parish’s inner circle, while Jeremy Renner portrays a broken, alcoholic doctor weighed down by guilt. Andrew Scott shows up as a once-liberal writer who’s drifted toward reactionary politics, and Daryl McCormack plays a failed young politician reinventing himself as a right-wing YouTube personality. Rounding things out is Cailee Spaeny as a famous cellist who donates heavily to the church, hoping for divine healing.
As with previous Knives Out films, the cast isn’t just there to look good or deliver clever lines. Each character is used to poke at bigger cultural ideas, this time focusing on religion, power, and moral authority. The result is said to be a murder mystery that’s still sharp and funny, but also more reflective and emotionally grounded than before.
In short, Wake Up Dead Man doesn’t just introduce a new cast of suspects. It uses them to push the franchise into deeper, riskier territory, while still delivering the snarky, twist-filled fun fans expect.
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