Quick Links
Rian Johnson’sKnives Outhas become one of the most exciting and refreshing film series of the last decade or so. The director’s take on classicwhodunit murder-mysterystories has managed to connect with audiences in a much broader way than may have been initially expected. While the film had an outstanding supporting cast made up of Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, LaKeith Stanfield, Toni Collette, Katherine Langford, Christopher Plummer, and many others, the real standout was Daniel Craig as the private detective at the center of it all. After the firstKnives Outfilm debuted in late 2019, there was immediate interest in the further escapades of Craig’s detective, Benoit Blanc.
Though that first movie was distributed by Lionsgate, Netflix eventually swept in and acquired the rights for two sequels in early 2021. The first of these sequels was 2022’sGlass Onion, which broughtCraig’s Benoit Blancto a billionaire’s private island in Greece, with an all-new supporting cast consisting of Janelle Monáe, Edward Norton, Leslie Odom Jr. Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista, Kate Hudson and more.Glass Onionproved to be a major hit for Netflix, and Johnson quickly got to work on the next film of this two-part streaming deal.
Now, a year and a half later, the thirdKnives Outfilm has been officially unveiled. TitledWake Up Dead Man, the film will once again focus on Craig’s Benoit Blanc as he takes on his “most dangerous case yet.” While no solid story details have been released and the supporting cast – which will likely consist of many big stars – has yet to be announced,Wake Up Dead Manis already continuing at least one major trendestablished by the first twoKnives Outmovies. Here’s how.
Continuing the Knives Out Musical Title Trend
Knives Out
When the firstKnives Outfilm was released, it was very easy to overlook the film’s title as a fairly standard, yet undeniably effective, name for a murder mystery movie. This is especially true when considering all the knife imagery found throughout the film, particularly the dramatic spider-web circle of knives behind the characters during their interviews with Blanc early in the movie. However,Johnson borrowed the title ofKnives Outfrom a very specific, though not really connected, source: Radiohead. The film takes its title from a Radiohead song of the same name, which can be found on the band’s criminally underrated 2001 album “Amnesiac.”
What Makes Knives Out the Perfect Thanksgiving Movie
There are very few great Thanksgiving movies out there, and Rian Johnson’s Knives Out deserves to be counted among them.
When it came to theKnives Outsequel, many people assumed its title would go the simple route ofKnives Out 2. Instead, Johnson applied the same approach to the title he had taken with the first film. As a result,Glass Oniongets its namefrom another iconic British rock band, The Beatles. The song “Glass Onion” is a bit of a deep cut, which can be found on the band’s self-titled White Album from 1968.
Now, Johnson has cemented this titling scheme with the third film,Wake Up Dead Man.The thirdKnives Outfilm has taken its title from a U2 song. Specifically, it’s an homage to one of the band’s most melancholic songs, “Wake Up Dead Man,” off the band’s 1997 album “Pop.” In a minor way,Wake Up Dead Manshifts the trend a bit; it’s the first movie in the series not to take its title from an English rock band’s song but instead goes as far as taking its name from an Irish rock band’s song this time.
Why Did Rian Johnson Choose These Songs for His Film Titles?
While it may be fun to speculate about all the in-depth details and hidden meaning behind choosing these songs as the titles for theKnives Outmovies, the truth is that there isn’t a lot of complicated logic behind it. For the firstKnives Outfilm, Johnson spoke about the title, saying that he’s a big fan of Radiohead and just liked the idea of using that phrase as the title ofa murder mystery. Speaking with theLA Times, he said, “I’m just a massive Radiohead fan, and I love that album, and I love that song. That phrase, that turn of phrase has always stuck in my head. And it seemed like a great title for a murder mystery.” He then goes on to say that he hopes Thom Yorke and everyone else involved with Radiohead doesn’t mind.
AsforGlass Onion, there is a bit more thought put into the title, though it’s still not a whole lot. When writing the movie, Johnson liked the metaphor of using glass to hide something in plain sight. With that in mind, he turned to his music library and looked for any songs with “glass” in the title;The Beatles’Glass Onionwas the first thing that came up. He then attached himself to this idea and baked the concept of the “glass onion” directly into the script, naming the home of Norton’s billionaire character after it and introducing more transparent layers that can be pulled back to reveal what has been clear to see the whole time.
Daniel Craig and Rian Johnson Don’t Want to Ever Stop Making Knives Out Movies
The star and director of the Knives Out films will keep making new installments of the series as long for as fans continue to enjoy them.
To put it simply, Johnson has decided to go with this naming scheme for theKnives Outfilms because he likes it and thinks it’s fun. He can find some additional meaning with the right song name, as was the case forGlass Onion, but it can also be mostly about vibes, as it was withKnives Out. While internet film fandoms tend to over-complicate things with endless wild theories these days, this is much more straightforward than all of that. It’s a good aesthetic that matches the films while not distracting from them at all. It’s more of a fun fact than something that speaks to the core of the series.
While we know essentially nothing aboutWake Up Dead Manat this point,the title itself indicates a few potential directions that the thirdKnives Outfilm could go. Preceding the announcement of the film’s title, Johnson took to social media and stated, “I love everything about whodunits, 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 Benoit Blanc movies.” He continued on to add, “We’re about to go into production on the 3rd one, and I’m very, very excited to share the title, which gives a little hint of where it’s going.”
With all that in mind, the title ofWake Up Dead Mancould mean any number of things. One idea that we find the most intriguing is the possibility of some sort of perceived supernatural element in the film. Similarly to Kenneth Branagh’s recent adaptation ofAgatha Christie’sA Haunting in Venice, the thirdKnives Outfilm could be some sort of ghost story or plot involving what appears to be an undead resurrection, only for Benoit Blanc to find the real truth behind it all.
In that way, the film could also take a bit of inspiration from a classic cartoon likeScooby-Doo, an idea we’re sure Johnson would have a lot of fun with. Only time will tell how the title ofWake Up Dead Manwill actually apply to the story ofKnives Out 3, but it certainly has us intrigued. If it does go in some sort of ghost story direction, that would most certainly be a different type of genre and direction for the series, which would be in line with Johnson’s description on social media.Knives Outis available to rent onPrime Video, andGlass Onion: A Knives Out Mysteryis streaming onNetflix.
