Bruce Willis’ ‘Detective Knight’ Trilogy: Release Dates, Trailers, Cast & Everything We Know So Far (2025)

Who would have thought we'd see the day when Bruce Willis would permanently retire? This writer definitely didn’t. But now that it's happening, it looks like the Die Hard star is going all guns blazing for the final showdown. His new action thriller trilogy, Detective Knight, is the proof. Set to be released across the holiday season, this series of three back-to-back crime action thrillers will be among his last films, which makes us both sad and excited at the same time.

The trilogy revolves around Detective James Knight (played by Willis) and is written by Edward John Drake, who is also the director of the series. The first of the trilogy, Detective Knight: Rogue is set around Halloween and follows Knight hunting down a gang of masked and armed robbers following a heist. The second movie, Detective Knight: Redemption, is set around Christmas and sees Knight caught up in a prison break led by The Christmas Bomber. The plot for the third movie of the series, Detective Knight: Independence, follows yet another high-octane chase for Knight as he tries to stop a misguided vigilante from wrecking the city on Independence Day.

In the last two years, Willis has appeared in about nine action thrillers, of which five of them are from 2022 alone, including the Detective Knight trilogy. While we are bummed out to see him go, there’s no doubt that the Hollywood legend’s acting journey is definitely going to end with a bang. Detective Knight: Rogue is produced by Corey Large, who also co-writes the screenplay for the movie. Whether you are a Bruce Willis fan or not, Detective Knight definitely merits a watch as a holiday season special, especially because the series is somewhat reminiscent of the Die Hard movies, two of which are set during the holidays. So, while you wait for the three movies to arrive at the theaters, why not check out the following guide with all the details of the plots, trailer, release dates, cast and characters, and everything we know so far about the Detective Knight trilogy?

Editor's Note: This article was last updated on December 24 to include the latest trailer for Detective Knight: Independence.

Related:In Praise of the Irreplaceable Bruce Willis, Hollywood's Golden Boy of Cinema

When Are the Detective Knight Movies Releasing?

So far, the release dates for only two of the three films have been confirmed. Detective Knight: Rogue is being released by Lionsgate and is set to arrive in movie theaters for a limited release and simultaneously on VOD, Blu-ray, and DVD on October 21, 2022. Detective Knight: Redemption is set for a Christmas release, slated to hit the theaters on December 9, 2022, followed by Detective Knight: Independence, which is set to premiere on January 20, 2023.

Watch the Detective Knight Trailers

Detective Knight: Rogue Trailer

The official trailer for Detective Knight: Rogue is already out, but we are yet to see the trailers for the following two films. For now, you can watch the latest trailer above. From the nearly two-minute clip, it’s quite clear that this is going to be a no-frills, hardcore crime-action thriller series. Let’s take Rogue for example. Keeping up with the theme and the movie's genre, the explosive scenes and speedy action sequences are quite thrilling to watch, provided that's your kind of watch. The clip also introduces Willis as the badass L.A. detective along with other main characters.

Detective Knight: Redemption Trailer

The trailer of Detective Knight: Redemption just released in November 2022, and it suffices to say that parts of it feel a little nostalgic, especially with the closing scene when Knight points the gun at the criminal mastermind and says “Merry Christmas, mother*****r!” Now that’s a John McLane goodbye we all want to see! The official trailer reveals the major plot points, including the adversary, The Christmas Bomber, played by Paul Johansson, who is wreaking havoc across the city along with his gang, who call themselves "The Real Saints of Christmas". Some of his disciples also cause a raid in the same prison where Knight is being held. He gets out, but only so he can bring the terrorists down and save the day and save Christmas. What better way to bring back the memories of the good old days of Die Hard this holiday season? In other parts, the trailer of Redemption is quite explosive, set on the holiday theme, with the criminals dressed in Santa outfits and blood-stained masks. The high-speed action and dark narrative seem to be maintained across both the first and the second movie, which will continue in the third one as well.

Detective Knight: Independence Trailer

Lionsgate released a trailer for Detective Knight: Independence exclusively through Collider on December 20, 2022, and it marks the end of this action-thriller series. The last part of the Detective Knight trilogy is equally speedy and thrilling. We see the return of James Knight as the titular protagonist who, by the third installment of the story, seems to have liberated himself of all the rules and fights crime in his own way. The focus of the trailer, however, is on Jack Kilmer’s character, a young hot-headed cop, who seems to have his own definition of justice. The crux of Detective Knight: Independence is most likely going to be a battle of ideals between the rookie and the veteran. The movie’s title seems befitting of his character arc in the third installment, where he is independent of any obligations or rules. But when the rookie’s careless, vigilante-type approach to justice turns dangerous, Knight will rise once again as the hero.

Related:Bruce Willis Denies Selling His Digital Likeness to Deepfake Company

Who's In the Detective Knight Series Cast?

Bruce Willis plays the titular character James Knight, who is obviously going to appear in all three movies. For Detective Knight: Rogue, the main cast members include Beau Mirchoff as Casey Rhodes, Lochlyn Munro as Eric Fitzgerald, Michael Eklund as Winna, Corey Large as Mercer, and Jimmy Jean-Louis as Godwin Sango. Joining them are Johnny Messner as Brigga, Keeya King as Nikki Sykes, Cody Kearsley as Dajon, Dax Campbell, Jessica Rose, Scott Cargle, and Trevor Gretzky as Mike Rochester.

For Detective Knight: Redemption, Corey Large, Trevor Gretzky, Beau Mirchoff, and Lochlyn Munro will be reprising their roles. However, the second installment of the movie series will also see new faces added to the cast, with Paul Johansson as The Christmas Bomber and Miranda Edwards as Anna Shea. Willow Shields, Jack Kilmer, and Alvaro Calderon also join in various roles. Some of the characters will appear in both the second and the third movies. Specifically, Munro, Large, Gretzky, Shields, Kilmer, and Calderon are set to return for Detective Knight: Independence. You can watch this space for updated cast information for both Detective Knight: Redemption and Detective Knight: Independence.

Who Are the Creators of the Detective Knight Series?

The Detective Knight trilogy comes from Australian screenwriter and filmmaker Edward John Drake, who cowrites the screenplay with Canadian writer, actor, and producer Corey Large. Large and Drake have previously worked together on Cosmic Sin and Apex. Drake has previously directed the Canadian thriller movie Broil, which was featured at the 2022 Fantaspoa and other film festivals.

Edward Drake has collaborated with Willis in all of his projects since 2020, including Cosmic Sin, American Siege, and Gasoline Alley. In fact, all his nine latest movies feature Willis in the lead, including the Detective Knight trilogy, as well as Paradise City, where Willis reunites with his Pulp Fiction co-star, John Travolta.

When Was the Detective Knight Trilogy Filmed?

Both Detective Knight: Rogue and Detective Knight: Redemption were written and directed by Drake for back-to-back productions, but the filming updates for Detective Knight: Independence is yet to become available. The second and third movies were earlier titled Christmas Knight and Devil’s Knight, respectively, which were later retitled Detective Knight: Redemption and Detective Knight: Independence. The principal photography for Detective Knight: Rogue started in October 2021, in New Mexico and was moved to Vancouver later that year. The filming was wrapped up in January 2022.

Related:'Moonlighting': Bruce Willis' First Starring Role Is Coming to Streaming

What Is Detective Knight’s Story?

The Detective Knight trilogy follows LAPD detective James Knight, who goes hunting down a new criminal/s in each story. It’s almost like Willis is bringing back the John McClane experience – a New York City cop gets on a new case and thwarts new enemies with every story. The first one, Detective Knight: Rogue, is set around Halloween. As the city gets on with its fear-fest celebrations, a gang of masked, armed robbers carry out a heist and, in a massive shootout, injures Knight’s partner. The slick gang members flee the city and end up in New York, with Knight in hot pursuit. But his presence in New York brings back Knight’s dark past and clashes with his current case, putting his mission in jeopardy. Knight must deal with his personal threats while hunting down the notorious gang of robbers.

In the second movie, Detective Knight: Redemption, the detective finds himself losing his badge and caught up in the middle of a jailbreak. It’s led by a violent and brutal fanatic named The Christmas Bomber and his Santa Claus disciples. He strikes a deal to take out the terrorists in exchange for his reinstatement. With the bomber’s henchmen terrorizing the city, Knight must seek justice. The third movie in the trilogy, Detective Knight: Independence, sees Knight once again in a maddening chase to stop a rogue vigilante and an out-of-control EMT vehicle from putting the city in danger, on Independence Day. But that’s not all, the detective’s race against time also involves saving his own home from a suspected explosion. Will this case finally free James Knight from his demons? Who knows? What we do know for sure is that Detective Knight: Independence will serve as Bruce Willis’ last movie before he bids adieu to the industry.