TIFF to debut Netflix’s buzzy Knives Out sequel starring Daniel Craig | Canada Voices

The curious case of where the highly anticipated third chapter in Rian Johnson’s hit whodunnit series, Knives Out, will premiere has been cracked. On Wednesday, organizers from the Toronto International Film Festival revealed that Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery will make its world premiere in the city this September.

The sequel, which stars Daniel Craig as master detective Benoit Blanc, was widely expected to debut at TIFF, given that the first two films in Johnson’s franchise – 2019’s Knives Out and 2022’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – both premiered in Toronto. The festival also previously played host to Johnson’s 2008 caper comedy The Brothers Bloom and his sci-fi thriller Looper, which opened the festival in 2012.

Slated for a December release on Netflix, Wake Up Dead Man will likely bring a bevy of stars to Toronto. In addition to Craig, the new film features Josh Brolin, Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, Kerry Washington, Josh O’Connor and Mila Kunis, to name just a few.

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But those celebrities will have to compete for attention with the stars of the 10 other Gala and Special Presentation titles announced by TIFF on Wednesday.

Highlights include the world premiere of Nicholas Hytner’s First World War dramedy The Choral, starring Ralph Fiennes; the Canadian premiere of Chloé Zhao’s historical drama Hamnet, which stars Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare and Jessie Buckley as his wife Agnes; the world premiere of Derek Cianfrance’s comedy Roofman, starring Channing Tatum as an escaped convict; and Paul Greengrass’s docudrama The Lost Bus starring Matthew McConaughey as a bus driver who must ferry children away from a raging California wildfire.

Brendan Fraser, another familiar face to TIFF audiences, will make an appearance for the world premiere of the Tokyo-set dramedy Rental Family. The star memorably won over Toronto audiences in 2022 with his dark character drama The Whale.

After previously announcing the world premiere of Canadian comedy Mile End Kicks by Chandler Levack, TIFF added to its homegrown lineup by slotting the world premiere of Clement Virgo’s Steal Away. The Belgium-shot psychological thriller, which stars Angourie Rice and Lauren Lee Smith, is Virgo’s follow-up to his acclaimed drama Brother, which debuted at TIFF in 2022 before going on to win a then-record 12 Canadian Screen Awards.

The remaining titles announced Wednesday include the North American premiere of Neeraj Ghaywan’s Hindi-language drama Homebound; the North American premiere of French director Rebecca Zlotowski’s Cannes-certified drama A Private Life, starring Jodie Foster; the North American premiere of Peter Chan’s Shanghai-set period piece She’s Got No Name, which premiered in Cannes back in 2024; and the world premiere of Franz, a Kafka biopic directed by Agnieszka Holland, who was at TIFF in 2023 with her acclaimed geopolitical docudrama Green Border.

TIFF’s 50th edition runs September 4 through 14; the remaining titles for this year’s festival will be announced over the next two weeks.