Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery hasn’t even landed on Netflix yet, and already Rian Johnson has been thinking up one of his ideal suspects for whatever case Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc finds himself on next. The new film already has a whole host of stars, including Glenn Close, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Thomas Haden Church, and Josh Brolin. Should he ever get Blanc back on detective mode, though, Johnson thinks Oscar-winning legend Meryl Streep would be a prime candidate.
Speaking to IndieWire about the future prospects of the Knives Out franchise, the director admitted that “There are so many great actors I’d like to work with. But, yes, if you’re reading this, Meryl Streep, I feel like you’d slot into a murder mystery very well.”
She’s already proven she can handle whodunits, having appeared in three seasons of the hit show Only Murders in the Building. Factoring this in, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to see her go toe-to-toe with Daniel Craig’s southern sleuth. Also, the fact that she’s Meryl Streep assures it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch for her to do anything, if we’re honest.
Further pushing for his dream pick, Johnson told Variety, “I feel like Meryl Streep would kill it. She was born to be in one of these movies; she’s hilarious.”