Knives Out 3 Secures Staggering $210 Million Budget Increase

Rian Johnson’s forthcoming Knives Out 3, officially titled Wake Up Dead Man, has given Netflix a hefty budget to work with.

According to Jeff Sneider of The InSneider, the budget for Knives Out 3 stands at $210 million. This marks a significant increase from its predecessors. The first installment of Knives Out had a modest budget of just $40 million. The latest movie’s budget is over five times greater.

It remains to be seen how this substantial investment will pan out. Netflix continues to pour vast sums of money into their projects, though their films generally do not receive extensive theatrical releases. The second film in the series, Glass Onion, did have a limited theatrical release in 2022, bringing in $15 million.

The Knives Out franchise commenced in 2019 with its debut movie. Daniel Craig led a star-studded cast that included Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Katherine Langford, and Toni Collette.

The murder mystery was a resounding success, grossing $312 million on a $40 million budget. Lionsgate distributed the film, while MRC, T-Street Productions, and Ram Bergman Productions financed it.

The plot revolved around the investigation following the death of author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer). As his family squabbled over the inheritance, famed private detective Benoit Blanc (Craig) was on the case, examining the clues after Harlan’s death was deemed a suicide.

Three years later, a standalone sequel, Glass Onion, was released. Once again, Craig returned as Blanc, this time tackling a new mystery involving tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton). Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista were part of the ensemble.

Similar to its predecessor, Glass Onion premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Netflix then gave it a one-week limited theatrical release, the largest for any movie from the streaming giant. During its theatrical stint, Glass Onion grossed $13 million and was well-received, earning a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination at the Oscars.

The third installment in the series, Wake Up Dead Man, appears to be named after the U2 song of the same name. This follows the naming trend, as Glass Onion refers to a Beatles song, and Knives Out is also the title of a Radiohead song.

Once more, Craig reprises his role as Benoit Blanc. The ensemble cast for Wake Up Dead Man features Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, and Cailee Spaeny.

Rian Johnson has been at the helm, writing and directing all three Knives Out films. He made his directorial debut in 2005 with Brick and went on to direct The Brothers Bloom and Looper.

In 2017, Johnson directed the eighth Star Wars movie, The Last Jedi. Despite its polarizing reception, the film was a financial triumph, grossing over $1.3 billion worldwide. He launched the Knives Out series two years later, repeatedly proving his directorial prowess.

Additionally, Johnson has notable experience in the television industry. He directed episodes of Breaking Bad and HitRecord on TV. He also created Poker Face for Peacock, starring Natasha Lyonne. Nora and Lilla Zuckerman are the co-showrunners of the series.

Johnson directed several episodes of Poker Face and wrote the pilot episode. He also serves as an executive producer on Netflix’s 3 Body Problem.

Source: The InSneider, Toronto International Film Festival