Cast of Knives Out: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans & Full List

If you’ve ever wondered how a whodunit pulls off the neat trick of making you care about a houseful of suspects, the answer usually lives in the casting. Rian Johnson’s Knives Out trilogy proves that point across three films: from the Thrombey family in 2019 to the celebrity-packed Glass Onion two years later, each entry assembles a cast that transforms stock characters into people you genuinely want to solve a mystery alongside. The common thread, of course, is Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc—and that continuity is what makes tracking the franchise’s evolving ensemble genuinely worth your time.

Director: Rian Johnson ·
Lead Actor: Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc ·
Key Supporting: Chris Evans as Ransom Drysdale ·
Key Supporting: Ana de Armas as Marta Cabrera ·
Sequel 2 Title: Glass Onion

The table below summarizes key franchise parameters across all three Knives Out entries.

Cast of Knives Out

The original Knives Out centers on a wealthy crime novelist, Harlan Thrombey, found dead on the night of his 85th birthday. Craig’s Benoit Blanc is brought in to investigate what turns out to be a family full of secrets. The Thrombey ensemble brings together Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Toni Collette, and a dozen more faces that make the family feel lived-in rather than assembled.

Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc

Craig’s Southern-accented detective became an instant franchise anchor. After concluding his James Bond tenure with No Time to Die in 2021, Craig returned to the role in Glass Onion (Wikipedia). He is confirmed to reprise the character once more in Wake Up Dead Man.

Chris Evans as Ransom Drysdale

Evans plays Harlan Thrombey’s grandson, a entitled playboy whose entitled demeanor makes him an obvious suspect from the moment he appears. The role marked a deliberate contrast to Evans’ Captain America image, and it worked.

Ana de Armas as Marta Cabrera

De Armas, who would go on to star in Blade Runner 2049 and the Netflix thriller The Night Agent, plays Harlan’s nurse and the only Thrombey family member he genuinely trusts. Marta becomes central to the film’s second-half twist, and her performance anchors the emotional throughline.

Jamie Lee Curtis as Linda Drysdale

Curtis brings her signature energy to Linda, Harlan’s eldest daughter and the sibling most visibly anxious about the inheritance. The casting connects to her history of working with Rian Johnson on films like Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Michael Shannon as Walt Thrombey

Shannon plays Harlan’s grandson, who manages the family publishing house. His scenes carry an undercurrent of resentment that pays off in the film’s later reveals.

Cast of Knives Out 2

Glass Onion shifts location from a Massachusetts mansion to a private Greek island, and it swaps nearly the entire ensemble. Blanc arrives to investigate a murder at the invitation of tech billionaire Miles Bron, surrounded by friends who’ve known each other for years—and who have plenty to hide.

Returning Stars

Daniel Craig remains the franchise’s constant. Noah Segan returns as Derol, a character first introduced in Knives Out as the overlooked nephew. The recurring presence of these two actors provides continuity across the trilogy (Wikipedia).

New Additions

Edward Norton leads the new ensemble as Miles Bron, a billionaire modeled loosely on figures like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. Janelle Monáe plays dual roles as Helen and Andi Brand, a casting choice that becomes central to the film’s third-act revelation (Rotten Tomatoes).

• Kate Hudson as Birdie Jay, a fashion designer whose career has seen better days
• Dave Bautista as Duke Cody, a Twitch streamer and men’s rights influencer
• Kathryn Hahn as Claire Debella, the governor of Connecticut
• Leslie Odom Jr. as Lionel Toussaint, a scientist and Bron’s former business partner
• Jessica Henwick as Peg, Birdie’s assistant
• Madelyn Cline as Whiskey, Duke’s girlfriend

Hugh Grant appears as Phillip, Blanc’s husband—confirming the character’s sexuality in a performance that adds unexpected warmth to the detective’s personal life. Ethan Hawke cameo in a brief role as the “Efficient Man,” while celebrity cameos include Stephen Sondheim, Natasha Lyonne, and Yo-Yo Ma (Knives Out Fandom Wiki).

Cast of Knives Out 3

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery marks the third installment in what Rian Johnson confirmed as a planned trilogy. The film adds entirely new faces to the franchise’s expanding universe while retaining its one constant—Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc.

Confirmed Leads

Josh O’Connor, best known for playing Prince Charles in The Crown, joins as a lead in what Johnson has described as the trilogy’s conclusion. Cailee Spaeny, who starred in Priscilla Presley in Sofia Coppola’s latest, also appears in a key role (Wikipedia).

Announced Supporting

Andrew Scott, the actor who redefined Moriarty in Sherlock and played the troubled priest in Netflix’s Black Mirror: Demon79, rounds out the headline cast. The combination suggests Wake Up Dead Man is aiming for actors known for complex, morally ambiguous roles—which fits the franchise’s typical casting philosophy.

What is Knives Out 3 called?

Knives Out 3 carries the title Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. The announcement came via Netflix and the official Wikipedia entry, with a confirmed premiere date of June 9, 2025 (Wikipedia). Johnson announced the title in 2023, completing what began as a trilogy pitch made during Glass Onion’s development.

The title echoes the first film’s naming convention while adding a darker tone—”Wake Up Dead Man” suggests something less cozy than the Greek island getaway of Glass Onion. Whether that corresponds to a darker tone or a literal reference to the mystery itself remains to be seen.

Is Knives Out worth watching?

The Knives Out franchise has built its reputation on a specific formula: A-list casts playing morally compromised characters, a detective who operates through conversation rather than action, and screenplays that reward close attention. Whether that formula works for you depends on a few factors.

Critical Reception

Rotten Tomatoes logged an approval rating above 97% for Glass Onion, with the critics’ consensus specifically highlighting the ensemble cast. The first Knives Out earned a 97% critics score on the same platform. Johnson has now directed three films with near-unanimous critical praise, a track record rare in modern filmmaking (Rotten Tomatoes).

Audience Response

Audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes run slightly lower than critics’ scores for both films, but still solidly positive. The gap reflects a common dynamic in genre filmmaking: critics reward innovation and tonal control, while audiences sometimes want simpler satisfactions. Knives Out delivers both, but Glass Onion’s more elaborate mystery structure asks more of viewers.

The pattern across three films shows Johnson prioritizing ensemble chemistry over individual character arcs—a trade-off that strengthens the mystery genre elements while leaving supporting players underdeveloped.

The Knives Out Timeline

Three entries across six years, one consistent lead, and a director who’s managed to keep the franchise fresh without diluting its core appeal.

The implication is that Johnson is treating the trilogy closer than a standard sequel run, investing the kind of consideration usually reserved for final chapters in longer franchises.

What makes the Knives Out franchise work, and what makes tracking its cast genuinely interesting, is the way Johnson builds ensembles that feel specific. Glass Onion doesn’t just cast famous actors—it casts actors whose public personas create productive friction with their characters. Kate Hudson as a fading fashion icon, Dave Bautista as an internet personality, Edward Norton as a tech bro who sees himself as an intellectual: each casting choice is an argument about who these people are before the first line of dialogue.

Wake Up Dead Man faces a different challenge. With the Greek island extravagance of Glass Onion behind it and a trilogy finale to deliver, the third film needs to justify its existence beyond simply adding another entry. The O’Connor and Spaeny casting suggests Johnson is aiming for actors who can carry the emotional weight that comes with closing a story—and that’s a signal worth paying attention to as the June 2025 release date approaches.

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Daniel Craig stars as Benoit Blanc alongside Chris Evans in the ensemble that the full list of actors and roles details with roles and behind-the-scenes insights.

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