Craig’s Detective Returns as New Knives Out Premieres at Toronto Festival

Daniel Craig led a glittering ensemble to Toronto with the latest instalment of the Knives Out series, Wake Up Dead Man, one of several high-profile world premieres that lit up Saturday night at North America’s largest film festival.

The third entry in the Oscar-nominated whodunit trilogy takes a darker turn. Set in a small-town church in upstate New York, the film follows a fiery, magnetic priest who commands his devoted congregation. When an apparently impossible death shatters the community, the local police chief calls in Craig’s beloved detective Benoit Blanc — famed for his Southern drawl and impeccable manners.

The star-studded cast includes Glenn Close, Mila Kunis and Josh Brolin.

Craig told reporters on the red carpet: “Well, when they’re as fun as this, then it’s really easy [to keep coming back]. It’s a departure from the other two, but it’s still within the realms of a murder mystery and the rules of the game.”

Following the runaway success of the first Knives Out — loosely inspired by Agatha Christie’s novels — Netflix reportedly paid $400 million for two sequels.

• The second instalment, Glass Onion, became the first Netflix film to play in major US cinema chains.
• Wake Up Dead Man will also premiere in theatres this November, before streaming worldwide in December.

Director Rian Johnson revealed that the film’s eerie Gothic atmosphere drew inspiration from the works of Edgar Allan Poe, although the story remains contemporary and laced with the franchise’s signature satirical wit.

The narrative skewers conspiracy theorists and populist politicians profiting from division. In one biting jab, Josh O’Connor’s priest character is derisively labelled a PINO (“Priest in Name Only”), a play on the “RINO” slur often invoked in US politics.

Johnson, who was raised religious, admitted: “I have a lot of complicated feelings about faith. It’s something I wanted to work into it and write about.”

Saturday’s packed line-up was not limited to Craig and company.

Among the standout premieres was Baz Luhrmann’s quasi-documentary EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, a film seven years in the making.

• Unearthed from Warner Bros’ Kansas salt mine vaults, nearly 60 hours of film negatives were rediscovered.
• The documentary contends that Presley remained at the peak of his performing power during the 1970s.
• Importantly, the narration comes entirely from Presley himself, through carefully curated archival footage.

Luhrmann explained: “We made the decision that we should let Elvis sing and tell his story himself. That was really the choice.”

With bold premieres, celebrity appearances and a slate spanning satire, drama and musical rediscovery, the Toronto International Film Festival is in full swing. The celebration of cinema continues until 14 September, cementing its role as a launchpad for both awards contenders and cultural conversation.