Rian Johnson has spent the last six years in the head of detective Benoit Blanc with Knives Out, Glass Onion, and Wake Up Dead Man, but his next movie is going to be something very different.
Johnson recently confirmed that he would be taking a break from the Knives Out franchise. “I’m writing right now, [but] it’s not one of these [Knives Out] films,” he said. “It’s just something completely different, an original thing. I actually feel very energized after making this one [Wake Up Dead Man], but this is three in a row. It’s probably healthy to see other people.” He did spill a few more details while speaking with Empire.
“The most exciting thing right now is this idea I have in my head for the next thing I’m gonna make, and I think ultimately, that’s all you can do, is just kind of follow your nose,” Johnson said. “If I had to define it genre-wise, I’d say it harkens back to the ’70s paranoid thrillers. It’s got a light sci-fi element to it.” I’m intrigued.
Johnson has dabbled in sci-fi before, most notably with Looper and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Speaking of Star Wars, Johnson still hasn’t given up hope of returning to that franchise. “That cog will be turning the rest of my life. I love Star Wars,” he said. “And if some day it makes sense to come back to it, for both of us, it would be the most wonderful thing in the world.” Just before the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, it was announced that Johnson would write and direct a new trilogy, which would be separate from the Skywalker Saga. The years passed, and nothing seemed to happen. Johnson recently admitted that “nothing really happened” with the trilogy, and it was only ever in the “conceptual” stage.
As for Wake Up Dead Man, the Knives Out sequel will debut on Netflix on December 12. In his review of the film, our own Chris Bumbray said it’s “another wildly entertaining entry in Johnson’s Benoit Blanc mystery series, and [Josh] O’Connor might be the most compelling central character we’ve followed thus far. It will no doubt please fans of the series and would certainly benefit from a robust theatrical run, as these are the kinds of films that are especially fun to watch with an audience.“
