About Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Oscar-nominated writer-director Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig are back, bringing their version of Hercule Poirot to the screen for the third time with Craig’s Benoit Blanc in Wake Up Dead Man. Taking inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe and the classic locked-room mysteries of Sherlock Holmes, this installment of the enormously entertaining series finds Blanc in a small, upstate New York town, embroiled in an impossible murder focused around the town’s local church and its small but devoted congregation. Led by Craig and Josh O’Connor, the stellar ensemble cast includes Josh Brolin, Glenn Close, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Jeremy Renner, Mila Kunis, and Thomas Haden Church. [144 min; comedy, mystery; English; watch the trailer]
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This screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film's composer, Nathan Johnson, and Indiana-based composer and filmmaker Ashton Gleckman.
Nathan Johnson is an award-winning composer, director, and producer whose work spans film, television, and music videos. Notably, he composed the scores for the Oscar-nominated murder mystery films Knives Out and Glass Onion. Wake Up Dead Man marks his latest collaboration with writer-director Rian Johnson, having previously worked with the filmmaker on Looper, The Brothers Bloom, and Brick, his film scoring debut.
Johnson's other film triumphs include Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley, which received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture; Michael Cuesta's crime thriller Kill the Messenger; Jake Paltrow's sci-fi film Young Ones; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut Don Jon. For television, Johnson scored Peacock's Emmy-nominated series Poker Face from creator Rian Johnson and star Natasha Lyonne. He also served as composer for the Apple TV dramedy Mr. Corman, reuniting with creator and star Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Known for his distinctive approach to instrumentation and recording, Johnson often incorporates unconventional elements such as tuned wine glasses, field recordings, and repurposed industrial objects alongside orchestral arrangements. He has been twice recognized by the International Film Music Critics Association Awards for Glass Onion and Looper; won an ASCAP Film and Television Music Award for Looper; and received a Saturn Award nomination for Knives Out. He has additionally directed numerous short films and music videos. His work in particular with the band Son Lux has been highly praised, including the groundbreaking experimental video for their song “Change is Everything.”
Called a "wunderkind" by The Hollywood Reporter, Ashton Gleckman is a 25-year-old composer and filmmaker based in Carmel, Indiana. His work includes directing and writing the music for the 8-part History Channel documentary series Kennedy, narrated by Peter Coyote and produced with the Academy Award-winning production company RadicalMedia. His upcoming work includes The Quiet Village, narrated by actor Liev Schreiber. Ashton also runs a YouTube channel, where he created the series Behind the Score and has interviewed several esteemed film composers.
"Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is an enticingly clever and droll, nearly pitch-perfect piece of murder-mystery fun—a whodunit that lives up to the expectations set six years ago by Knives Out, which offered its own perfect revival of the Agatha Christie spirit, with a tasty frosting of meta cheekiness." — Owen Gleiberman, Variety
"With its Gothic atmosphere and deeper themes, Wake Up Dead Man has a darker tone than the previous Knives Out films. Yet it is also the funniest and most playful so far." — Caryn James, BBC
"Everyone seems to be having a blast, and the filmmaker knows how to take both the ensemble he’s assembled and his congregation of Knives Out fans—call us Blanc-heads—to church, literally and figuratively." — David Fear, Rolling Stone
Any film screened at IU Cinema may contain content that viewers find sensitive or upsetting. Visit our Audience Advisories page to learn more.
