Wake Up Dead Manis the upcoming third movie in theKnives Outseries of murder mystery movies, and it looks like it is already fixing my biggest problem withGlass Onion. The first teaser forWake Up Dead Manis out now, giving a brief glimpse atthe third Benoit Blanc mysteryahead of its December 2025 release. Although it is still several months away, it has reignited my interest in the franchise, with it addressing some of the criticisms that were levied atGlass Onion.
I was a massive fan ofKnives Out, and after hearing director Rian Johnson’s plans for the franchise’s future, I couldn’t wait. Rian Johnson teamed up with Netflix to make two sequels toKnives Out, both of which would follow Daniel Craig’s Detective Benoit Blanc as he investigated mysteries completely disconnected from the first film.Glass Onionwas the first of these sequels, and while I did enjoy it, I didn’t like it quite as much as the first film. However,Wake Up Dead Manis looking to do something wildly differentfrom its predecessors.
It Is Far Darker Than Its Predecessors
Wake Up Dead Man’s first teaser has been released, and while it is just a minute in length, it already proves that the thirdKnives Outfilm is going for a far more serious tone. Visually,Wake Up Dead Manis incredibly dark. The lighting is high-contrast and most of the costumes and backgrounds are black, grey, green, and purple. The music choice indicates that the film will have a dark tone as well, with the teaser being scored by Ralph Stanley’s “O Death,” a dark song with religious undertones where the singer pleads with Death to keep living.
Although the story ofWake Up Dead Manis still shrouded in mystery, it seems to be more serious as well. When compared toKnives OutandGlass Onion,the characters inWake Up Dead Manseem to be far less zany. The teaser also features clips of dialogue talking about weighty subjects like religion, miracles, and death. There are no jokes or comedic moments in the trailer, and while the teaser could be misleading viewers about the tone,Wake Up Dead Mandefinitely seems to be a change of pace from its comedic predecessors.
Glass Onion’s Tone Was Too Silly After Knives Out
It Was Undeniably A Comedy
While I still enjoyedGlass Onion, many critics pointed out that the sequel felt a bit too silly, something that I agree with. The bright colors, weird comedic beats, andwacky characters turnedGlass Onioninto a comedy murder mystery, a label reinforced by references to things likeAmong Usand Jeremy Renner hot sauce. While it would have been hard to tell this story with a serious tone,Glass Onionleaned too far into comedy afterKnives Out.
While there are heightened characters inKnives Out, none of them are as silly as the characters inGlass Onion. In fact, Benoit Blanc is the silliest character inKnives Out, withthe juxtaposition between his demeanor and his skills as a detective making him compelling. Blanc is surrounded by even sillier characters inGlass Onion, drowning out his presence. The time-specific jokes and political commentary aren’t bad, but they don’t feel like the timeless Agatha Christie novels thatKnives Outlovingly homages.
As Long As Benoit Blanc Is There, It Is A Knives Out Mystery
However, having a comedicGlass Onionand a seriousWake Up Dead Manis not a flaw. In fact, it is thebest quality of theKnives Outfranchise. Like the Hercule Poirot stories that inspire it, theKnives Outfranchise is full of wildly different locations, characters, stories, and tones, all united by the presence of Benoit Blanc. As long as Benoit Blanc is there and someone is dead, it can be aKnives Outfilm, and this is one of the reasons why I love it so much.
IfWake Up Dead Manwould have been a comedy, I would have been disappointed. Not because I didn’t likeGlass Onion, but because having two comedies in a row would have felt like wasted potential. Even Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot movies recognize this, and I am glad to see Rian Johnson leaning into this quality withWake Up Dead Man.
