Rian Johnson on His ‘Knives Out’ Future & the Fight for a Theatrical Release

With Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery expected to release this year, fans are wondering if this is the last time Daniel Craig’s eccentric detective Benoit Blanc will grace the screen. After two sharp, stylish whodunits, Rian Johnson is once again in the director’s chair—but is this the end of the line?

Good News. Not just yet, says Johnson. In a recent interview with Collider, the filmmaker made it clear that as long as he and Craig are creatively engaged, there’s life in the franchise. “As long as Daniel [Craig] still wants to keep doing it and as long as we have an idea that…feels genuinely exciting and scary like, ‘Oh, wow, could we pull that off?’” Johnson shared. It’s clear he’s not interested in phoning it in just to keep the franchise afloat.

Still, Johnson has other stories to tell. After Wake Up Dead Man, his next project will take a sharp left turn—no murder, no mystery, no Blanc. He emphasized that while he loves the genre’s flexibility, he’s eager to stretch his creative muscles elsewhere. But don’t read this as a goodbye. Johnson just wants to keep things fresh.

Craig, for his part, seems happy to keep donning the southern drawl and sharp suits. He told Variety that he’s all in—“if Johnson keeps writing them like that, then yes, I will play it.” That’s a strong “when,” not “if.” The actor appears just as energized by the role as fans are to see him in it. The third installment brings another all-star lineup, from Josh Brolin to Glenn Close. Netflix is keeping the plot tightly under wraps, but expectations are high. And if previous entries are anything to go by, Johnson won’t disappoint.

But will there be a theatrical release?

One of the biggest sticking points for fans of Knives Out was the disappointing release strategy for Glass Onion, which had a limited theatrical run before landing on Netflix. Despite its star power and franchise pedigree, the film missed the kind of wide cinematic rollout that could have turned it into a box office event. Johnson hasn’t forgotten that missed opportunity—and he’s determined not to let history repeat itself.

Johnson is openly pushing Netflix to rethink its approach for Wake Up Dead Man, telling them to “wake up” “I want this in as many theaters for as long as possible,” he told Business Insider, underlining his belief in the value of a proper movie-going experience. recent box office hits like Sinners and A Minecraft Movie, Johnson argues that audiences still show up in droves—if you give them something worth seeing. “I think theatrical is not going anywhere, we’ve seen, if you put a movie people want to see in the theaters, they are going to show up for it, and that experience of being in a full house and having that experience is so important. It’s something that I love and I want more of in the world.”

Netflix, however, seems to be doubling down on its streaming-first mindset, with CEO Ted Sarandos calling theatrical releases an “outdated concept.” Johnson diplomatically disagreed, defending theaters as not just viable, but vital. The question now isn’t just whether audiences want to see Benoit Blanc in a cinema—it’s whether Netflix will let us.

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