Knives Out 3 cast, release date revealed: Who will join Daniel Craig in new film?

Daniel Craig stars as Detective Benoit Blanc in the Knives Out franchise. Photo / Netflix

A third Knives Out film is officially on the way - and now the brand-new cast joining Daniel Craig’s Detective Benoit Blanc has been revealed.

Rian Johnson’s film is titled Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, inspired by a U2 song. While the plot is not yet clear, Johnson revealed Craig would return to the series in a teaser trailer shared on X, according to Variety.

While the first movie introduced Benoit Blanc as he cracked the case of writer Harlan Thrombey’s death, its sequel Glass Onion followed billionaire Miles Bron, who invites a group of his rich friends over for a murder mystery game that turns fatal.

The previous films have featured some big names, from Ana de Armas to Hugh Grant, Chris Evans and Jamie Lee Curtis - but who will star in the upcoming instalment alongside Craig?

Josh O’Connor has already had a busy year, starring in Challengers alongside Zendaya following his turn in The Crown as now-King Charles. Now he’s joining Craig in Wake Up Dead Man.

The Crown star Josh O'Connor recently appeared alongside Zendaya in Challengers. Photo / AP

Cailee Spaeny is also joining the cast after appearing in political thriller Civil War - though most will know her best from Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla. Meanwhile, Fleabag’s Andrew Scott will also appear, having recently starred in All of Us Strangers and Netflix’s Ripley.

The film also stars Kerry Washington, who most recently appeared in The School of Good and Evil in 2022, as well as Oscar-nominated star Glenn Close.

Elsewhere, Daryl McCormack - who you may know from Good Luck to You, Leo Grande in which he starred alongside Emma Thompson - will play a suspect. Dune star Josh Brolin also joins the cast after his turn in the second instalment of the science fiction franchise.

Mila Kunis will also star, following her turn as producer and lead in Netflix’s Luckiest Girl Alive.

Mila Kunis, pictured in recent thriller Luckiest Girl Alive.

But perhaps the biggest surprise is Marvel star Jeremy Renner, who will appear in the film following his long recovery from a snow plough crash in January last year. He was left with trauma to his chest and broke 30 bones, sharing updates on his recuperation throughout last year.

He’s previously starred in Marvel series Hawkeye and Mayor of Kingstown, which is returning for a third season.

Following his recovery from a snow plow crash last year, Jeremy Renner will appear in Rian Johnson's murder mystery film. Photo / Getty Images

While the original Knives Out was a hit - and landed its own franchise, with Netflix forking out $450 million to make two follow-up movies - the second outing got mixed reviews. The Herald’s Karl Puschmann wrote of Glass Onion in 2022, “So is this highly anticipated sequel a twisty-turny triumph or a big bold blunder?

“It’s a question I pondered almost as much as the crime that’s at the heart of Glass Onion ... The film’s often very funny, with a light and playful tone that keeps you engaged even while you’re scratching your head.

“As fanciful notions play out against implausible situations, it’s hard to shake the feeling that it’s a little too clever for its own good. That said, Glass Onion is an easy, entertaining, if increasingly convoluted, watch. But by going so large it feels like it’s missing a little of the magic that the first film captured so brilliantly.”