Will Knives Out 3 Replace Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc? The Director Finally Answers
With Knives Out 3 on the way, Rian Johnson finally settles the Benoit Blanc question, delivering a definitive verdict on whether anyone other than Daniel Craig will ever play the Southern sleuth.
If you were hoping the Knives Out series would someday swap in a new Benoit Blanc like the James Bond movies do with 007, Rian Johnson just slammed that door shut. And honestly, that makes sense.
Johnson on recasting Blanc: not happening
Rian Johnson — the writer, director, and co-producer behind the Knives Out films — told IndieWire that Benoit Blanc is not a rotating role. When asked if Blanc was a James Bond type (multiple actors) or more like Indiana Jones (one face, one fedora), he did not hesitate:
'He's Indy. He's Daniel doing it.'
Johnson called the series a genuine partnership with Daniel Craig and made it sound pretty simple: if either of them ever loses the spark, they stop. In his words, the two are in the same boat, they try to do right by each other, and if Daniel is happy, he is happy. Translation: no contingency plan to keep Blanc going with a new actor. The character and Craig are a package deal.
Craig isn't just starring — he's shaping Blanc
This tracks with what Johnson has said before (including to Entertainment Weekly) about how involved Craig has been in molding Blanc as a character. The accent, the rhythm, the quirks — Craig hasn't just shown up and read lines; he's been part of building the guy.
Already thinking about what's next
Johnson also said he and Craig have started to 'formulate' the next entry in the Knives Out series. Given that the third movie is about to roll out, that sure sounds like early conversations about a fourth — nothing official, but the wheels are turning.
Where we are in the series and when the new one arrives
Craig has been Benoit Blanc since the start, headlining 2019's Knives Out, 2022's Glass Onion, and now the third film, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. The new one premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025. It hits select US theaters on November 26, 2025, before landing on Netflix on December 12, 2025.