Over the last few years, director Rian Johnson has become synonymous with his Knives Out franchise. The third installment Wake Up Dead Man is heading to theaters shortly before becoming available to stream with a Netflix subscription in December. CinemaBlend spoke to the filmmaker about this threequel, and he offered an update about the fourth movie (and why he hasn't written the franchise in advance). Let's break it all down.
While folks re-watch Knives Out, the third movie Wake Up Dead Man will is heading to theaters. Early reception for Knives Out 3 has been overwhelmingly positive, so it seems like the whodunnit franchise isn't going to stop anytime soon. As you can see in the video above, Johnson spoke to CinemaBlend ahead of the new movie's release, and when asked if the fourth installment is already on its way he said:
No, not really, I actually, I mean, and we've just started. I just started like tossing a couple of things out, but it's not like we're in the development process with it or anything. And the truth is, I know I'm going to make another movie that's a original first before I make another one of these. And I actually think it's kind of important to not really figure out what the next one is going to be until I'm ready to write it and make it.
This makes a ton of sense to me. Rather than simply churning out new Knives Out stories for the sake of making money, Johnson is making sure that he's telling a compelling enough story. And since he's working on an upcoming movie set outside of the Daniel Craig-led franchise, the development process for the fourth movie might take a while.
Later in the same interview with CinemaBlend, Rian Johnson further explained why he's unable to write the Knives Out movies in advance. Namely because they so often are inspired by what's going on in the real world. As he put it:
Because so much of these movies are that they're set in the present moment and that it's kind of, in a way, trying to capture kind of what's on everyone's mind in that moment. So, yeah, I'm going to hold off to actually dive into it until it's time to write.
Those of us who have followed Benoit Blanc's adventures on the screen so far will know that Johnson is right on the money here. Glass Onion in particular felt very of the moment, as it was set in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. And in order to make each new installment connected to the real world, Rian Johnson can't pen his sequels in advance.
Johnson's comments are sure to inspire questions about what original project he'll be working on prior to Knives Out 4. There are some that are still hoping that Johnson's Star Wars trilogy comes to fruition, considering how The Last Jedi was a subversive masterpiece. Unfortunately, there hasn't been any real news on that front.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery hits theaters November 26th as part of the 2025 movie release list, and will arrive on Netflix December 12th. We'll just have to be patient when waiting for news about the fourth Knives Out flick.
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