Don’t Watch Wake Up Dead Man: Knives Out 3 Until You Read This

Netflix just dropped Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, so if you’re queuing it up tonight, here’s what you’ll want to know going in. Short version: it’s the third Knives Out movie from writer-director Rian Johnson, Daniel Craig is back as Benoit Blanc, and the vibe this time is noticeably different.

Yes, it’s still an all-star whodunit, but the lineup is fresh: Josh O'Connor, Kerry Washington, Jeremy Renner, Glenn Close, and more join Craig for this round.

What to know before you press play

• Tone check: this one skews darker and more somber than Knives Out and Glass Onion. There are laughs, but the overall mood leans heavier.
• The composer’s take: Rian Johnson’s brother and series composer Nathan Johnson called this chapter more gothic, with a real undercurrent of dread, and said it actually made him cry. More on that below.
• Blanc steps back: Benoit Blanc is basically a supporting player this time. He doesn’t really stride into the story until the second act. So don’t panic if you’re not hearing the accent right away.
• Josh O'Connor is the engine: the plot revolves around him in a big way, similar to how Ana de Armas and Janelle Monae anchored the first two films. Difference here: O'Connor’s so central he’s on screen more than anyone, and his performance feels like it could spark awards chatter.
• The mystery is trickier: if you found the last two easy to solve, temper that confidence. This one zigzags enough that guessing the culprit early is a lot tougher.
• Cast at a glance: Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc; new ensemble includes Josh O'Connor, Kerry Washington, Jeremy Renner, Glenn Close, and others.
• Availability: it’s streaming now on Netflix.

On the craft side, the tonal swing isn’t an accident. Nathan Johnson, who scores the series and happens to be Rian’s brother, told Forbes this entry hit him differently:

"This one made me cry, which was, I think, the first time that's happened with one of Rian's movies. So, this one felt like it is darker - it's more gothic. There's like this underlying dread there that we were talking about discovering, but then also it takes you to this moment that I feel is a moment of real generosity. It's kind of a meaningful dance to get to start in this very dread-filled place, but then hopefully end in a place that feels like, as I observed the performances and the characters and the things happening on-screen, it's kind of something that I want to see more of in the world."

So that’s the setup: a moodier mystery, a delayed entrance for our favorite sleuth, and a story that puts Josh O'Connor front and center. Grab your thinking cap and maybe a tissue. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is now streaming on Netflix.