The trailer for the third instalment in the Knives Out series has left fans wondering if Rian Johnson has been “riffing” on Avengers: Endgame.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery will feature an all-star cast including Daniel Craig, Andrew Scott, Josh Brolin, Glenn Close, and Mila Kunis. A trailer for the film, which released earlier today, has since gone viral as fans believe they spotted a sly dig at the Robert Downey Jr.-starring Marvel movie. The ensemble feature will release later this year on Netflix, and the trailer had some viewers observe a similarity between a panning shot of the cast and a scene which featured at the end of Avengers: Endgame. The scene in question, which features Marvel star Jeremy Renner, was pointed out by some fans as a more than obvious knock at the franchise feature.
One fan wrote: “Lmao is that funeral shot riffing on Avengers: Endgame?” The scene in question sees the camera pan further and further back across the faces of the cast. It’s a scene some may be familiar with, as it featured at the end of Avengers: Endgame to mark the funeral of Tony Stark (Downey Jr). The scene would see members of The Avengers, as well as supporting characters from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe, pay their respects to Stark.
It’s a scene which settled in well for many movie fans, and it seems to have been spoofed in the recent trailer for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Another user suggested: “Having Renner there makes it deliberate.” A third added: “Rian [Johnson] is so funny.”
Others were waiting to see how the film would turn out after the well-received Knives Out: Glass Onion from 2022. One person wrote: “Confident this will be far superior to Glass Onion, but will it top Knives Out is the question… looks fantastic!”
Another added: “I need this movie like I need air.” A third fan wrote: “I think this will be my movie of the year, I got that sort of hope.” The ensemble mystery feature will release on December 12 following a short theatrical run, set to begin on November 26.
This marks the second of two Netflix-approved sequels, with the streaming giant having purchased the distribution rights to the two follow-up films in the Knives Out trilogy. Johnson had expressed an interest in expanding the mysteries, and a third film is now set to release.
Leading man Daniel Craig said it was “lucky” that he landed the role so soon after ending his time with James Bond. He said: “How lucky am I to get to play something like this? I mean, I’ve played [James] Bond, and now I’m suddenly playing Benoit Blanc. It’s dumb luck. I’m very lucky.” You can watch the trailer for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery below.
