Knives Out 3 Director Reveals if Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc Could Be Recast

Rian Johnson, the writer, director, and co-producer of the Knives Out movies, gave a definitive answer on whether Daniel Craig‘s Benoit Blanc could be recast in the future. Notably, Craig has portrayed Blanc in all three films so far: 2019’s Knives Out, 2022’s Glass Onion, and the upcoming third entry in the film series — Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.

Rian Johnson says Benoit Blanc is more like Indiana Jones than James Bond

Johnson dismissed the idea of anyone else besides Craig playing Benoit Blanc in the future during a new interview with IndieWire. When asked if Blanc was more like James Bond, and more than one actor could play him, or if he was more like Indiana Jones, mostly associated with just one actor, Johnson responded, “He’s Indy. He’s Daniel doing it.”

Johnson elaborated further by saying, “For me, personally, these movies are working with Daniel. It’s a partnership. And the instant either one of us feels even slightly like not doing it, we’ll stop doing it.”

The filmmaker proceeded to reiterate that he considers Craig to be his “partner” on the films. He added, “We’re in the boat together in this thing. I think the pressure we both put on ourselves is trying to do right by the other one. And that’s a really good partnership. If Daniel is happy, I’m happy.”

Johnson also revealed in a recent interview that he and Craig have started to “formulate” the next entry in the Knives Out film series.

In past interviews with outlets such as Entertainment Weekly, Johnson has detailed how involved Craig has been in the development of Blanc as a character.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery had its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2025. It is scheduled to debut in select theaters in the US on November 26, 2025, and then on Netflix on December 12.

Source: Comingsoon.net