With Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery due to release next month, director Rian Johnson has revealed his next movie takes ideas from “70s paranoid thrillers” and has “a light sci-fi element”.
Rian Johnson has revealed his next movie is inspired by “70s paranoid thrillers” and has “a light sci-fi element”.
The 51-year-old director has turned his attention to his next project now the third instalment in his whodunnit series Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is ready for release next month, and Johnson has spilled some details on what fans should expect from his next film.
During an interview with Empire magazine, he said: “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.
“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.”
Johnson had directed Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, and was confirmed to be helming his own trilogy in the galaxy far, far away before the blockbuster’s release in 2017 – but updates on the project have been few and far between.
Even so, the director insisted he was still open to returning to the Star Wars franchise.
He said: “That cog will be turning the rest of my life. I love Star Wars. 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.”
With Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the Looper filmmaker has completed his deal with Netflix for two Knives Out movies, though Johnson has emphasised he has been “very, very happy with the partnership with Netflix”.
He added: “Being with Netflix has absolutely just put [Knives Out] culturally in a place that I never thought it would get to, which is very, very cool.”
Although Wake Up Dead Man will have a limited theatrical release in the U.S. on November 26, 2025 before launching on Netflix on December 12, Johnson admitted he was missing the true cinematic experience with his movies.
He said: “At the same time, I’ve said that the theatrical experience is very, very important to me.
“It’s something I really believe in, and I feel like the reports of its death are greatly exaggerated. We see that this year, with movies like Sinners – something genuinely exciting by one of our great new filmmakers, connecting with audiences in a huge way, and in a way where people want to get out to the theatre to see it. That’s really exciting to me.”
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery follows detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) once again as he tries to solve a murder in a small town’s church.
As secrets surface and loyalties twist, Blanc faces his most dangerous mystery yet.
The film also stars Josh Brolin, Jeremy Renner, Mila Kunis, Cailee Spaeny, Glenn Close, Josh O’Connor, Thomas Haden Church and Andrew Scott.
Rian Johnson says his next movie is like a ‘70s paranoid thriller’ with ‘a light sci-fi element’
