In early 2024, Mila Kunis, Kerry Washington and Cailee Spaeny were each sent an encrypted document and tasked with solving a murder. “[The document] was on an iPad with a passcode and then in an app with a different passcode. If you pause, it starts from the beginning again,” says Kunis. “I won’t lie, I tried to find out who did it, but I couldn’t work it out.”
The reason for this elusive assignment was in fact the script for the third instalment in the popular detective franchise, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. The film, which lands on Netflix on December 12, centres on a mysterious murder inside a small-town church with a dark past.
When a charismatic priest (Josh Brolin) is found dead under suspicious circumstances, famed detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) — back on the case — teams up with the newly arrived Reverend Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) to untangle the truth.
Leading the official police investigation is Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis), a local cop who finds herself outnumbered by secrets, lies and an unsettling number of potential suspects.
The suspect line up is a string of familiar faces: Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close) the devoted church manager, Dr. Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner) the town doctor, Vera Draven (Kerry Washington) a lawyer, Lee Ross (Andrew Scott) a best-selling author, Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny) a former concert cellist, Cy Draven (Daryl McCormack) an aspiring politician and Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church) the church groundskeeper.
Aside from the razor-sharp whodunit script writing, the real brilliance of the Knives Out films lies in their meticulous world-building. Every room, costume, framed photo and oddly placed trinket is a breadcrumb designed to steer you closer—or further—from the truth.
“The interior of the church was a set on a stage, and I’ve never been more blown away by a set before in my life. At times, I forgot we were on a set because it was so real and detailed,” says Kunis.
“Jenny Egan, our costume designer, is so talented, she really enjoys the nuance of differences between each character, and figuring out how to express that through clothes.”
And with a world this detailed—and a suspect list this stacked—it’s impossible not to wonder: if a real-life mystery landed in their laps, who would they point the finger at?
“Glenn Close,” says Kunis without any hesitation. “Then Andrew Scott.”
“I always go with Josh Brolin,” adds Washington.
“Really? I would go with Brolin for the detective. I think he would get down and dirty,” adds Kunis.
“[Mila, you would be] the detective because when there’s something you want to know, you’re like a dog with a bone. You’re gonna find it, and you’re gonna solve it,” replies Washington.
“True, but hear me out. If something’s gross, I would tell Brolin to go in the hole and find out what happened,” says Kunis. “He’s rugged a little dirtier than I am. I’ll be the big picture, but then I’d have him go and do the dirty work.”
Stream Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery on Netflix from December 12.
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