Knives Out 3 Needs To Give Us More Of Forgotten Character
Netflix recently revealed the name of the upcoming Knives Out 3: the title is Wake Up Dead Man, after the same-name song by U2 on 1997’s Pop. Very little is known about Wake Up Dead Man beside the name, a 2025 release window, and the return of both filmmaker Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig as private investigator Benoit Blanc. But I wanted to make an early request that Johnson & co. not forget to bring along the star who provided one of the more surprising cameos in the film series so far–Hugh Grant as Phillip, Benoit Blanc’s husband.
Phillip
Phillip was introduced in 2022’s Glass Onion, the first sequel to 2019’s Knives Out. It is, in fact, Phillip who answers the door when Helen Brand (Janelle Monáe) comes calling in hopes of recruiting Benoit Blanc to find her sister’s killer. Grant’s character not only confirms that Blanc is gay, but by virtue of meeting any partner of Blanc’s at all, we get more of a look in the detective’s personal life than we were privy to in the first film.
Speaking to Newsweek in 2022, Johnson assured his interviewer that Phillip’s appearance had nothing to do with what, at the time, was being called “rainbow capitalism.” Instead, the director wanted to make sure Glass Onion didn’t make the same mistake other films did.
“I feel like there’s oftentimes, especially with Hollywood movies, this weird dithering like maybe they are maybe they’re not,” Johnson told Newsweek. “It’s a fact, [Benoit Blanc is] gay in the movies.”
And that’s exactly why we need Phillip in Knives Out 3.
If Phillip Is More Than Rainbow Capitalism, We Need Him In Knives Out 3
If we get no Phillip in Knives Out 3, then it would seem to confirm that his inclusion in Glass Onion really was just a little bit of “rainbow capitalism” — just some virtue signaling to let everyone know the Knives Out franchise is woke in all the right ways. This is especially true considering Grant never appears on screen with Craig in the sequel.
It will seem like they called Grant, got him in the one scene, checked off a box next to “gay” somewhere, and moved on.
Phillip Can Add A Lot To Knives Out 3
Phillip could be a wonderful addition to Knives Out 3, and hopefully any future Benoit Blanc mysteries. After all, so far Blanc’s adventures have involved a lot of travel–first to New England and later to a privately owned island in Greece. Wouldn’t you want to bring your husband with you on a trip every now and then?
He Doesn’t Need To Take Over The Movie
I’m not arguing that Phillip should necessarily be Benoit’s murder mystery sidekick in Knives Out 3, just that he should be there and maybe we can see a bit more of him. Again–not for the sake of virtue signaling, but just so we can see a little bit more of Blanc’s personal life. It makes him more relatable, and also potentially gives us a more concrete notion of the stakes should Phillip be threatened by the killers his husband pursues.
There Are So Few Recurring Characters In Knives Out
So far, Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc is the only character to appear in multiple chapters of Knives Out. It would be nice to see at least one more familiar face, and bringing Phillip into Knives Out 3 seems like a great way to do it.
We’re not counting, of course, Noah Segan who appeared in both Knives Out and Glass Onion, but as different characters each time. Segan plays police detective Trooper Wagner in the first film, and Miles Bron’s (Edward Norton) slacker roomie Derol in the second.
Since Segan has literally shown up in every single Rian Johnson directed movie to date, I have no doubt he’ll be there for Knives Out 3–just not as the same dude.
Source: Newsweek
