BFI London Film Festival to open with premiere of third Knives Out film
Wake Up Dead Mean: A Knives Out Mystery will see James Bond star Daniel Craig reprise his role as famed private detective Benoit Blanc, who unravels another murder mystery among a new cast of suspects.
The Netflix movie, which also stars Emmy-winning actress Glenn Close, Challengers star Josh O'Connor, and That '70s Show actress Mila Kunis, will headline the festival's opening night gala, taking place at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall this autumn.
The other cast members of the star-studded film include Irish actors Andrew Scott and Daryl McCormack and US actors Josh Brolin, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington and Cailee Spaeny.
Director Rian Johnson, said: 'We're honoured to be opening the BFI London Film Festival with Wake Up Dead Man. London is the birthplace of the golden age of detective fiction and it's a thrill to be back!'
Kristy Matheson, BFI London Film Festival director, said: 'At this 69th edition of the BFI London Film Festival we are inviting audiences to get their spyglass at the ready as we get back on the case with another deliciously fun mystery from director Rian Johnson and his all-star cast with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
'Led by Daniel Craig and Josh O'Connor, the film features incredible British and international talent on and off screen who bring a sense of play and verve to the screen, to craft a film that twists, turns and will keep audiences guessing to the final frame.
'The third of the brilliant Knives Out films we have presented at the LFF, we are delighted to reunite for our special Opening Night.'
The 69th edition of the festival, which is run by the the UK's lead organisation for film and the moving image – the British Film Institute (BFI), will take place between October 8 and 19 2025.
The second movie in the film series, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, closed the 66th edition of the festival in 2022.
This year's festival will take place across a variety of venues in the capital including BFI Imax, Picturehouse Central, the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, Prince Charles Cinema and Vue West End – as well as a number of other partner cinemas.
Wake Up Dead Mean: A Knives Out Mystery will be released to Netflix on December 12 2025.
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Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) was banned in several different towns across the United States because of its "controversial themes about Christianity." This movie was also banned in several countries. For example, Ireland banned it from 1979–1987, and Norway banned it for a full year until 1980. The studio even used these bans as a way to promote the film. In Sweden, they added the tagline "the film so funny that it got banned in Norway." Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) was banned in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Lebanon for featuring a single animated frame with a trans flag on it. The trans flag appears VERY briefly in Gwen Stacy's bedroom, and it reads "protect trans kids." Unfortunately, there are extra strict guidelines for films in some countries — especially for movies with kids as the target audience — which need to abide by "local customs and values." 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