‘Wake Up Dead Man’ Stealthily Rickrolled Every Netflix Subscriber Who Watched It

It seems that Rian Johnson's Knives Out murder mystery sequel Wake Up Dead Man may be hiding more devious details than it lets on. The Netflix hit is the third Knives Out film, bringing Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc back for another twisty whodunit. While Wake Up Dead Man is chock-full of hidden details for audiences to pick up on as they watch, allowing them to investigate alongside the film's central detective, Johnson may have hidden another unique nod in the movie that most viewers missed.

Thanks to eagle-eyed fan Jay Hulme on Bluesky, it seems as though Wake Up Dead Man "Rickrolled" audiences. The Rickrolling prank centers on people being lured into watching something, only to be hit moments later with the music video for Rick Astley's 1987 hit song "Never Gonna Give You Up." While Astley and the song don't appear in Wake Up Dead Man, the video's shooting location does.

While the connection ultimately falls to a beautiful shooting location utilized by the production of Astley's music video and Johnson's Wake Up Dead Man

, it makes for a humorous observation. The scene in Wake Up Dead Man is even a dramatic, sincere moment, making the realized connection more awkward. Still, even if unintentional, Johnson's murder mystery utilizes humor to significant effect, allowing the inadvertent Rickrolling feel at home.

What's Next for 'Knives Out' After 'Wake Up Dead Man'?

 

 

Josh O'Connor in Wake Up Dead Man

Netflix

Wake Up Dead Man continued the franchise's use of an ensemble cast that grows into a lengthy list of suspects, allowing Craig's Benoit Blanc to serve as the connection between the mysteries. It leaves the door wide open for any number of new cases for the eccentric detective. The movies also include links to other notable cases from Blanc's past, with Wake Up Dead Man alluding to a well-known case involving the Kentucky Derby, thereby allowing the franchise to elucidate its own allure if Johnson so chooses.

There is no definitive plan for another installment in Johnson's Knives Out franchise, as Wake Up Dead Man was the end of his deal with Netflix to release two sequels, with Glass Onion being the other. The writer and director has stated that he has "pretty vague" ideas about where to take Blanc on his subsequent investigation, but he hasn't begun to pen the script.

The audience and critical reception of Wake Up Dead Man points to there being a demand for more, but nothing is concrete. Netflix may wish to strike another deal to bring more films to the streaming service, but with limited theatrical runs for the last two Knives Out movies, Johnson may be looking to take the franchise back to theaters. What's next for Benoit Blanc remains to be seen.