Why ‘Knives Out’ Fans Think They Know the Identity of the ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ Killer
Beno?t Blanc might have one less mystery to solve now that Knives Out fans think they figured out who is playing the next murderer.
The whodunit film franchise has been top of mind as news broke that Josh O'Connor, Cailee Spaeny, Kerry Washington, Glenn Close, Andrew Scott, Jeremy Renner and Mila Kunis are all joining the cast of Knives Out 3: Wake Up Dead Man.
Despite details on the new characters being kept under wraps, some fans think they’ve found a pattern when it comes to the killer's identity.
"Waiting to hear which actor who headlined an MCU movie is in Knives Out 3 so I know who the killer is," wrote one social media user after Renner's involvement was announced.
Everything to Know About Benoit Blanc’s Next Mystery in ‘Knives Out 3: Wake Up Dead Man’
For context, the first Knives Out installment unmasked Chris Evans' character, Hugh Ransom Drysdale, as the killer. Evans, 42, is also known for portraying Steve Rogers, a.k.a Captain America, in various Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.
The second Knives Out film — Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery — revealed that Edward Norton's Miles Bron was behind two murders that took place. Before joining Knives Out 2, Norton, 54, played Bruce Banner and his Hulk alter ego in 2008's The Incredible Hulk. Norton was expected to reprise his role in future Marvel Cinematic Universe projects but was replaced by Mark Ruffalo.
Wake Up Dead Man currently has one person with a Marvel background, with Renner, 53, playing Clint Barton, a.k.a Hawkeye, in various Avengers movies and in the Disney+ miniseries Hawkeye.
Not much has been revealed about Knives Out 3 since director Rian Johnson confirmed he wanted to keep expanding the beloved franchise. In addition to directing, Johnson, 50, has written and produced the films, which are centered around Daniel Craig's iconic detective character, Benoit Blanc.
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Craig, 56, has previously discussed his plans to appear in future Knives Out films, telling Variety in September 2022, “If [Rian] keeps writing them, I’ll keep doing them. That’s what makes it easy then, he’s such a wonderful writer that it’s there on the page for me to do."
Meanwhile, Johnson has hinted at his vision for the layout of the third film.
"We have one more movie in our contract with Netflix, but I don't see it as a trilogy," the director told RadioTimes in December 2022. "I see it as an ongoing thing. As long as Daniel and I are having fun and coming up with something new and exciting every time, we'll keep doing this as long as we can."
Earlier this month, Johnson offered more hints at what fans can expect, writing via X, “I love everything about whodunnits, but one of the things I love most is how malleable the genre is. There’s a whole tonal spectrum from Carr to Christie, and getting to explore that range is one of the most exciting things about making Beno?t Blanc movies.”
He continued: “We’re about to go into production on the third one, and I’m very, very excited to share the title, which gives a little hint of where it’s going.”
