🔪 Wake Up Dead Man
A Knives Out Mystery (2025) — Cast & Character Map
"A locked-room murder in a Neo-Gothic church. Everyone has a secret. Only Blanc has a magnifying glass."
⭐ 7.3 IMDb · 🍅 82% Rotten Tomatoes · Knives Out #3 on Netflix
The Setup: Detective Benoit Blanc investigates the impossible stabbing death of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks during a Good Friday service at Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude in Chimney Rock, upstate New York. The church was full of witnesses. The side room had no exits. Everyone is a suspect.
A locked-room mystery in the tradition of John Dickson Carr — the crime is physically impossible, requiring both an ingenious contraption and a manipulated timeline.
Written & directed by Rian Johnson · Dec 12, 2025 (Netflix) · Premiered at TIFF Sep 2025
🎭 The Cast
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A-list ($1B+ box office or major awards legacy)
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Major star (franchise lead or cultural icon)
⭐⭐⭐ Rising / strong character actor
⭐⭐ Recognized face
⭐ Early career / niche
Benoit Blanc DETECTIVE
Daniel Craig ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- James Bond in 5 films (Casino Royale → No Time to Die)
- Benoit Blanc in all 3 Knives Out mysteries
- Mikael Blomkvist in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The world's greatest detective, now on his most personal case. Canonically partnered with Hugh Grant's character (revealed in Glass Onion's opening scene).
Fr. Jud Duplenticy POV / PRIME SUSPECT
Josh O'Connor ⭐⭐⭐
- Prince Charles in The Crown (seasons 3-4) — Emmy & Golden Globe winner
- Challengers (2024) — tennis drama with Zendaya
- God's Own Country — breakout BAFTA-nominated role
A young priest and former boxer, sent to assist Wicks at the parish. Clashes immediately with the monsignor. Becomes the #1 suspect when Wicks is found dead — Jud was the last person near the room.
Mons. Jefferson Wicks VICTIM
Josh Brolin ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Thanos in the MCU (Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame)
- No Country for Old Men — Coen Brothers classic
- Milk, Sicario, Dune (Gurney Halleck)
A fire-and-brimstone monsignor who runs the parish with an iron fist. Delivers a chaotic final homily before retreating to a side room — and is found dead moments later from a stab wound. The victim at the center of the locked-room mystery.
Martha Delacroix SUSPECT
Glenn Close ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- 8x Oscar nominee (Fatal Attraction, Dangerous Liaisons, The Wife) — most noms without a win for an actress
- Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians (1996)
- 3 Tony Awards, 3 Emmys; The Natural, Air Force One
Wicks' devout and secretive right-hand woman. The church matriarch who knows more about the parish's finances — and its missing inheritance — than she lets on.
Chief Geraldine Scott SUSPECT
Mila Kunis ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Jackie on That '70s Show (1998–2006)
- Black Swan — alongside Natalie Portman
- Bad Moms, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Family Guy (Meg Griffin voice)
The town's police chief who joins forces with Blanc to investigate. Walks the line between local loyalty and pursuit of truth.
Dr. Nat Sharp SUSPECT
Jeremy Renner ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Hawkeye in the MCU (6 Avengers/solo films)
- 2x Oscar nominee (The Hurt Locker, The Town)
- Remarkable real-life comeback after near-fatal 2023 snowplow accident
The town's doctor. One of his first major roles since his devastating snowplow accident in January 2023. Has medical access and knowledge that makes him a suspect — and a crucial witness.
Vera Draven, Esq. SUSPECT
Kerry Washington ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Olivia Pope on Scandal (2012–2018) — iconic TV fixer
- Django Unchained — Broomhilda von Shaft
- Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG Award nominee; producer & activist
A tightly-wound lawyer with deep knowledge of the parish's legal entanglements and the missing inheritance. Married to Cy Draven.
Lee Ross SUSPECT
Andrew Scott ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Moriarty in Sherlock (BBC) — unforgettable villain
- Hot Priest in Fleabag (Season 2) — cultural phenomenon
- All of Us Strangers (2023), Ripley (Netflix 2024)
The town's best-selling author — or perhaps a struggling one depending on how you count. A literary figure who may have been taking notes on more than just fiction.
Simone Vivane SUSPECT
Cailee Spaeny ⭐⭐⭐
- Priscilla (2023) — Sofia Coppola's Priscilla Presley biopic, Venice Best Actress
- Alien: Romulus (2024) — franchise lead
- Civil War (2024), Pacific Rim: Uprising
A concert cellist battling chronic illness. Her frailty may be a mask, or it may make her the most vulnerable person in the parish.
Cy Draven SUSPECT
- Good Luck to You, Leo Grande — opposite Emma Thompson
- Peaky Blinders (Season 6) — Isaiah Jesus
- Bad Sisters (Apple TV+) — rising Irish star
A failed politician turned social media influencer, always filming with his camera. Married to Vera. His constant documentation of the "drama" makes him both suspect and accidental archivist.
Samson Holt SUSPECT
- Sandman in Spider-Man 3 & No Way Home
- Sideways (2004) — Oscar-nominated performance
- Wings (TV series), Divorce (HBO)
The church groundskeeper whose earnest devotion to Martha Delacroix goes beyond mere parish duties. A man of simple means with complicated feelings.
Bp. Langstrom SUSPECT
Jeffrey Wright ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Commissioner Gordon in The Batman (2022) & upcoming sequel
- Westworld — Bernard Lowe (HBO, 4 seasons)
- American Fiction (2023) — Golden Globe winner; Basquiat, Angels in America
The Bishop who oversees the diocese. His arrival adds an ecclesiastical power dimension — the church hierarchy has its own interests in the outcome.
Grace Wicks SUPPORTING
- The Wolf of Snow Hollow, Marriage Story
- Appearances in Hawkeye (Disney+), Inventing Anna
Related to the victim — a family connection that adds another layer to the inheritance question.
Rev. Prentice Wicks SUPPORTING
- Randyll Tarly in Game of Thrones
- Lord Sinderby in Downton Abbey
- Pope Sixtus IV in Da Vinci's Demons
Another Wicks — the family's clerical dynasty runs deep in this parish.
Louise SUPPORTING
- Somebody Somewhere (HBO) — star & creator, Peabody Award
- Alt-cabaret performer, Inside Amy Schumer
A local parishioner who adds earthy color to the congregation.
Nikolai JOHNSON REGULAR
- Every Rian Johnson film — Brick, Looper, The Last Jedi, all 3 Knives Out
- Director of Blood Relatives
Johnson's good-luck charm. His streak is unbroken across the director's entire filmography.
Baseball Announcer (voice) CAMEO
Joseph Gordon-Levitt ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Inception — Arthur (Christopher Nolan regular)
- Looper — alongside Bruce Willis
- 500 Days of Summer, The Dark Knight Rises, 3rd Rock from the Sun
A voice cameo as a baseball play-by-play announcer — his 3rd collaboration with Rian Johnson (after Looper and Knives Out).
🕸️ Character Connection Diagram
Conflict / Tension
Alliance / Trust
Romantic / Family
Investigation
Professional
🎬 The Mystery at a Glance
The Locked Room
During Good Friday service, Monsignor Wicks delivers a chaotic homily, then retreats to a compact side room while Fr. Jud takes over. Seconds later — a thud. Wicks is found dead from a stab wound. The room has no exits. The church was full of witnesses. The murder is physically impossible.
The Suspects
Every parishioner had reason to want Wicks gone. Martha controlled the finances. Vera knew about the inheritance. Cy was documenting everything. Lee was taking notes for a book. Dr. Sharp had medical access. Samson was devoted to Martha. Simone was fragile — or pretending to be. And Bishop Langstrom had the authority of the diocese itself at stake.
The Detective
Blanc calls this his most personal case. The film is told mostly through Fr. Jud's perspective as he tries to clear his name while helping Blanc navigate a town where faith, money, and murder are entangled.