AlthoughWake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mysteryis set to be the final movie in the trilogy, theKnives Outseries could technically last a lot longer thanks to the works of legendary murder mystery author Agatha Christie.TheKnives Outmoviesare known for a few things. Both 2019’sKnives Outand its 2022 sequel,Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, boast starry casts, fiendishly complicated central mysteries at their core, and a charismatic, quirky leading man in Daniel Craig’s iconic Benoit Blanc.
A detective of unparalleled skill and unapologetic eccentricity, Blanc clearly owes a creative debt to Agatha Christie’s iconic Hercule Poirot. While notevery Agatha Christie movie adaptationrecaptured the breezy charm of the author’s murder mystery novels, Craig’s turns as Blanc are arguably one of the best tributes to Poirot in film history. Ironically, with his wacky accent and larger-than-life persona, Blanc might be a better screen version of Poirot than the surprisingly dour, dramaticPoirot seen in Kenneth Branagh’s Agatha Christie trilogy.
The Franchise Drops Everything But Its Protagonist Between Movies
As such, it seems fitting thattheKnives Outfranchise can continue after its final installment thanks to the work of Agatha Christie.Per the director of theKnives Outmovies, mystery enthusiast Rian Johnson, the series will keep dropping everything but its detective with each new installment. In September 2019, Johnson toldUproxx, “It’s just what Agatha Christie did. It’s just coming up with a whole new mystery, a whole new location, all new cast, whole new mechanics of the appeal of a mystery and everything.”
Although Netflix only paid for two sequels toKnives Outin their historically expensive deal with Johnson, the franchise could well continue past that original plan.
This approach means that, although Netflix only paid for two sequels toKnives Outin their historically expensive deal with Johnson, the franchise could well continue past that original plan. TheAgatha Christie-inspired TV seriesDeath in Paradisehas lasted 14 seasons, cycling through no fewer than four different detectives in the process. Meanwhile, its two spinoff shows prove that the ratings juggernaut shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
Similarly,Murder She Wrotelasted for a whopping 12 seasons while ITV’s seriesAgatha Christie’s Poirotmade it to 70 episodes between 1989 and 2013. With endless chances to reinvent the series while holding on to the central character that keeps viewers invested, theKnives Outmovies could become a starrier successor to these more modest small-screen successes. Admittedly, the franchise will likely never produce dozens of movies, but it could make much more than just three.
The Sequel Can Introduce Dozens Of New Actors
One of the main reasons that theKnives Outmovies can continue in perpetuity is their reliance on starry ensemble casts.Knives Out 3already missed outon a perfect casting trick by failing to add deadpan icon Aubrey Plaza to the series, butWake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mysterydoes boast the likes of Mila Kunis, Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Cailee Spaeny, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington, and many more. Similarly,Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mysteryfeatured Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Leslie Odom Jr., and Madelyn Cline among its long cast list.
Why Knives Out Released In Theaters (But Glass Onion & Wake Up Dead Man Are Netflix Originals)
Netflix may be a streaming platform, but that doesn’t mean it’s a stranger to the broader cinema landscape and the wider festival circuit.
TheKnives Outfranchise’s reliance on star power is surprisingly good for the series, since the franchise will never run out of new talent to tap for each new outing. There is no shortage of famous actors who haven’t appeared in the series so far, and the setup of the franchise means each movie can introduce not just one more famous face, but over a dozen more. After all, every classic murder mystery needs a large swath of suspects.
Knives Out 3 Must Keep One Franchise Tradition Alive
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Mentioned Benoit Blanc’s Private Life
Without dwelling on it,Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mysteryshould subtly flesh out Benoit Blanc’s personal life a little further. By theend of 2019’sKnives Out, viewers knew almost nothing about Craig’s detective save that he could never make sense of Thomas Pynchon’s 1973 masterpieceGravity’s Rainbow. Early on inGlass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, the audience learned that he had a partner in the form of Hugh Grant’s barely-glimpsed love interest.
Christie’s ingenious approach meant viewers always felt invested in the detective’s latest success, but never felt like they truly knew him.
However, the sequel obstinately refused to do any further digging. This mirrors Christie’s approach, with the iconic author gradually revealing minor elements of Poirot’s backstory over the years but never focusing entire novels on his personal life. This ingenious approach meant viewers always felt invested in the detective’s latest success, but never felt like they truly knew him or could solve the greatest mystery of all, namely how he became such an unparalleled catcher of criminals. To last beyondWake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, theKnives Outfranchise must borrow this enigmatic approach.
