By Bhargav Acharya
TORONTO (Reuters) -The charismatic, sharply dressed detective Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig, is back to solve another murder case in “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery,” the third installment in the franchise. It’s big, it’s dark and it’s fun.
Writer-director Rian Johnson takes viewers to a small-town church in upstate New York for his latest in the whodunit genre, giving it a much more grounded tone.
“We’re trying to do something kind of different each time,” Johnson told Reuters on the red carpet ahead of the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
“The first one was kind of a cosy mystery. The second one was a big kind of broad vacation comedy mystery. This one is a little more gothic in tone, it’s a little darker, but I think it’s still very fun,” he said.
Craig couldn’t agree more.
“It’s a departure. It’s a different kind of movie. But it’s still a Benoit Blanc mystery,” the former James Bond star told Reuters.
The ensemble cast includes Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack and Thomas Haden Church.
O’Connor was full of praise for Johnson, who he described as an “idol” of his. “He is a genius writer and director,” he said.
The rising British actor, who played Prince Charles in the TV series “The Crown,” received some of the loudest applause following the premiere for his performance as a young priest.
Spaeny, who plays a cellist in the mystery film, said she was grateful for the opportunity and tried to take in every moment while on set. The American actress learned to play the instrument in preparation for her role and stars in a comedy for the first time in her career.
“It felt wrong that we were getting paid to do this job,” she said.
Craig was also full of praise for the “bubbly” cast.
“We’ve been incredibly lucky with the whole series and we nailed it again,” he said.
The film will have a limited theatrical release on November 26 before making its way to streaming on Netflix on December 12.
(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya in Toronto; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and William Mallard)
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