So far, the Knives Out series of films has taken us to a Gothic Revival manor house in Boston, a rather more glamorous resort in Porto Heli, Greece – the setting for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – and now we’re heading to Upstate New York by way of London and Epping Forest for Wake Up Dead Man. In fact, we won’t be crossing the pond at all. The third film in the franchise – which is also a standalone sequel to Glass Onion – is set in the fictional town of Chimney Rock in New York State, but it’s believed that the all-star cast remained in the UK during filming in the summer of 2024. Like the previous two films, the murder mystery was written and directed by American filmmaker Rian Johnson, and the reviews following its UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival suggest that we’re in for another treat.
As we look forward to the release of Wake Up Dead Man on November 26 in select cinemas and December 12 on Netflix, we take a closer look at some of the latest Knives Out filming locations. Though nothing has been confirmed by Netflix, there are quite a few useful sources out there that have helped us to build a clearer picture.
Where was Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery filmed?
Daniel Craig resumes the role of detective Benoit Blanc as he investigates the seemingly impossible murder of charismatic priest Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin) and uncovers a complex web of secrets within this small community. For this, they clearly needed a church. The exterior of the church used in Wake Up Dead Man has been identified as Holy Innocents Church in High Beech, Loughton, in the heart of Epping Forest in Essex.
Built at the end of the 19th century to a design by English Architect Sir Arthur Blomfield, it is an example of the Victorian Gothic style (a presumably coincidental link to the house in the first film) and has a prominent role at the start of the trailer below. What’s more, Daniel Craig and fellow cast members Josh O’Connor and Glenn Close were reportedly spotted in the area during filming in June 2024. The Grade II-listed building Butler’s Retreat in nearby Chingford, now a restaurant, is also thought to have been used in some additional scenes.
Watch the trailer here:
However, a quick image search of Holy Innocents reveals that the interior of the church we see in the film is not the same building. So where were these important scenes filmed? It’s presumed that this was built on set by production designer Rick Heinrichs, at the famous Leavesden film studios in Hertfordshire, where much of the Harry Potter series was filmed along with countless other blockbusters.
As well as the studio scenes at Leavesden, there are said to be various other Knives Out filming locations in and around London – but extra details are very much TBC. Perhaps you might manage to spot one or two locations when you see the film at the cinema later this month or on Netflix in December. If you can bear to wait, we think this film would make the perfect family viewing over the Christmas holidays. Who doesn’t love a festive whodunnit?!
What else do we know about the new Knives Out film?
To find out more about the all-star cast, the plot of the film and the release date details, read our round up of Everything we know about the new Knives Out film. You can also read about the Glass Onion filming locations here.
