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Everyone Who Needs To Be Cast In The Third 'Knives Out' Movie, 'Wake Up Dead Man'

Jared Russo
Jared Russo
Everyone Who Needs To Be Cast In The Third 'Knives Out' Movie, 'Wake Up Dead Man'
We've already had a few leaks and confirmations, but here's who else we think would be a great fit for Benoit Blanc's next mystery.
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The desire to see particular actors in announced projects is a hobby horse for people addicted to social media. So, when filmmaker Rian Johnson — creator of the "Knives Out" films — dropped news of a third installment, "Wake Up Dead Man," a lot of people rightfully freaked out — with most of the cast unraveling over the next few days, weeks and months, that means we still have some time to predict who could be acting in the upcoming mystery movie.

What really grinds my gears is that when I started thinking about potential actors, one of the first names was Andrew Scott — better known as the talented Mr. Ripley in Netflix's "Ripley," and of course the Hot Priest from "Fleabag." But now, instead of looking like a genius who can see into the future, the Hollywood trades have beaten me to the punch...

Two of the brightest young stars coming off of hot releases this year: Josh O'Connor from "Challengers" and Cailee Spaeny from "Civil War" have too joined the cast. Murder victims or suspects? Too early to tell.

It's clear now that the movie will focus on an updated list of the hottest actors working right now (literally and figuratively). So, extrapolating from that, we have to ask: just how mega-famous will this cast get? Could they possibly get any of the following Gen Z icons?

Austin Butler, Zendaya, Glenn Powell are bonafide superstars, while Jenna Ortega, Paul Mescal and Florence Pugh are riding high on recent success, like Timothée Chalamet and the others.

Character actors and A-listers love being in these movies, so it's not far-fetched to assume that Rian Johnson could pull off a few wildcard castings. With that in mind, I've tossed out some of the archetypes these murder mysteries typically feature, and who I think would be right for the parts.

The rest of this article will include spoilers for "Knives Out" and "Glass Onion."

The protagonist and Benoit Blanc's sidekick

Ana de Armas and Janelle Monáe are about as good as you can get when it comes to excellent casting in your murder mystery film, and have set the bar high. Here's who could fill those shoes.

  • Ashley Park
  • Cynthia Erivo
  • Ayo Edebiri
  • Margaret Qualley
  • Maya Hawke

The award winning veteran, or character actor who looks suspicious the whole time

The perfect role for an actor with prestige and an impressive filmography, and now who has the time to branch out and have fun. An impressive roster has successfully played the main suspect already — including Jamie Lee Curtis, Leslie Odom Jr., Michael Shannon, Kathryn Hahn, Toni Collette, Dave Bautista, Don Johnson and Kate Hudson — so, it's time to mix things up with a variety of serious stage actors, comedians, old Hollywood and anyone who can be a quirky character.

  • Dev Patel
  • Jon Berenthal
  • John Boyega
  • Da'Vine Joy Randolph
  • Judy Greer
  • Jeremy Allen White
  • Jonathan Bailey
  • Freddie Highmore
  • Phoebe Waller-Bridge
  • Billy Eichner
  • Josh Hartnett
  • Awkwafina
  • Keith David
  • Vera Farmiga
  • Ebon Moss-Bachrach
  • Michael Rooker
  • Stephen McKinley Henderson
  • Brendan Gleeson
  • John Goodman
  • William Jackson Harper
  • Will Poulter
  • Steve Buscemi
  • Matt Berry

The killer

So far, the most famous actor in the "Knives Out" films' cast has been the killer. For two straight movies, the biggest name was the mastermind behind the murders. Chris Evans had just played Captain America in the final "Avengers" movies when he appeared as Ransom in "Knives Out," and Ed Norton was by far the most decorated and established actor in "Glass Onion." Knowing that, let's throw out the names of some extremely famous people who could be the next culprit.

  • Michael Keaton
  • Pedro Pascal
  • Elizabeth Debicki
  • Kieran Culkin
  • Anne Hathaway
  • Barry Keoghan
  • Benoit Blanc's husband Phillip, played by Hugh Grant

Cast Al Pacino or Robert de Niro for the Christopher Plummer role of "old man who gets stabbed," and you have yourself a movie!

Just when you thought things weren't moving fast enough, by the time we finished this, Kerry Washington joined the crew.


[Image credit: Rian Johnson]

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