A torrential downpour drenched Los Angeles on Nov. 17, setting the perfect mood for a special screening of “Wake Up Dead Man,” the third installment of Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” murder mystery franchise.

“It’s Gothic, just like the movie. That’s how much power Netflix has: they brought the rain,” joked Kerry Washington as the cast and crew assembled on the black carpet outside the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures amid the deluge. Washington plays a parishioner of the small-town Catholic church where an impossible crime takes place.

The threequel, which is now playing in limited theaters and begins streaming Dec. 12 on Netflix, follows the debonair detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) as he teams up with local police chief Geraldine Scott (Mila Kunis) to figure out who murdered the church’s fiery preacher, Monsignor Jeffrey Wicks (Josh Brolin). The number one suspect is the church’s new priest Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor), who publicly clashed with the Monsignor. But one also can’t rule out any of Wick’s deeply devoted — and equally troubled — flock: devout churchgoer Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), groundskeeper Samson Holt (Thomas Haden Church), lawyer Vera Draven (Washington), aspiring politician Cy Draven (Daryl McCormack), town doctor Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), concert cellist Simone Vivane (Cailee Spaeny) and author Lee Ross (Andrew Scott).

The church is more than just the setting for this complicated case; the story’s examination of faith — as Blanc finds reason and religious fervor at odds — hits close to home for Johnson, who grew up religious but is no longer a believer.

“I wanted this one to really land, because it’s about something really personal for me,” Johnson told Variety. “The fact that people are having a good time, but also having an emotional reaction to it, means a lot to me.”

Count Johnson’s longtime collaborator and cousin, composer Nathan Johnson, among those who have been particularly moved by the material. “This is a really deep one for both of us,” he shared. “This is the first movie of Rian’s that made me cry.”

Washington admitted that she’s “definitely biased” but believes this is the best “Knives Out” movie so far. “I’m a huge fan of this franchise,” she said. “What I’ve learned in working in this world is that it’s less of a franchise and more of a family. And I think the fact that Rian was willing to put more of his own heart and soul, his own journey, into this film has made it have so much more resonance for all of us and for audiences.”

O’Connor concurred, sharing that he was drawn to the project because of its personal nature. “I really love these films, I find them so entertaining and exciting, and they’re a great watch with your family,” he said. “But there was something about this script which had something very rich underneath. It was a theme that I find really interesting — about faith and how distorted faith can be.”

Johnson has teased that he’s working on an original story unrelated to the “Knives Out” franchise as his next film, but he’s not ruling out a return for Benoit Blanc — eventually.

“It’s definitely not because I’m burned out. In fact, I feel energized after making this one. I feel excited about the possibilities of, ‘OK, if we can do this, what else can we do with the murder mystery?’” Johnson said about makign the pivot. “But I had this other idea I’d been cooking for a while, and I thought, ‘Well, I’ve done three of these in a row. I’ll give Daniel a little break from me and go up and do something else.’”

Johnson would happily cast any of his “Knives Out” stars in that movie, in part because he can’t rehire them for any more Benoit Blanc adventures.

Why not? “Because, if I did, Jamie Lee Curtis would kill me,” he quipped.

Curtis starred in 2019’s “Knives Out” and has been vocal about wanting to return, but the filmmakers have held fast to their guns about casting a new ensemble for each chapter of the anthology series. Johnson has assembled a murderers’ row of A-listers each time, and he’s got his eye on another Oscar winner for a potential future installment.

“I feel like Meryl Streep would kill it,” Johnson said. “She was born to be in one of these movies; she’s hilarious.” There’s just one hurdle: “I don’t know her at all,” he laughed.

Fortunately, one of his “Wake Up Dead Man” actors has an in. Washington, who was Streep’s co-star in 2020’s “The Prom,” said she’d be happy to vouch for the director: “You ask people about what it’s like to be in these movies, and everybody says it’s just a dream, so I would encourage her.”

Who else should join the “Knives Out” crew? Spaeny pitched Charles Melton, her co-star in season 2 of Netflix’s “Beef,” for a role, while O’Connor mentioned Joel Edgerton would make a strong addition. Washington wants to see Javier Bardem join the franchise.

“I feel like we should do like a ‘Knives Out’ holiday variety show. This is what Ed Norton [who starred in ‘Glass Onion’] is pitching,” Washington added. “I feel like I need to get Janelle [Monáe] on board so that we can just kind of all come together on Netflix and do like a talent show.” What would Washington’s talent be? “I’d probably run craft service,” she joked. “I’d ask Ram [Bergman] if I could produce it with him.”

Kunis had an even grander plan for what she’d like to see happen next.

“We want to create the ‘Avengers’ of the ‘Knives Out’ franchise, where everyone comes back, and there’s a big whodunnit,” Kunis said, referring to one of the many pitches she and Washington have shared with Johnson.

And she’d like to recruit one of her girlfriends to join in the fun – perhaps Zoe Saldaña. “Either murder someone or be murdered, it should be fun. Either way, it’s a good time,” Kunis said, laughing.