Honestly, it feels like half the internet wants to buy Rian Johnson a drink and the other half wants to ban him from a galaxy far, far away. That’s just the life of a guy who builds his entire career on pulling the rug out from under you. Most people know him as the Benoit Blanc architect or the man who made The Last Jedi a three-hour debate topic, but if you look at the full run of Rian Johnson movies and tv shows, there’s a much weirder, more meticulous pattern at play. He isn't just making mysteries; he’s obsessed with how stories work, and more importantly, how he can break those stories without losing the audience.
It started with a high school noir and eventually led to a massive Netflix deal. Along the way, he basically directed the best episode of television ever made. Not an exaggeration—"Ozymandias" has a literal perfect 10 on IMDb. But whether he’s working with a $200 million budget or a scrappy indie crew, he keeps the same circle of friends. His cousin Nathan Johnson does the music. Steve Yedlin, his buddy since college, handles the cinematography. It’s a family business that just happens to produce global blockbusters.
The Benoit Blanc Phenomenon and What’s Next
We have to talk about the Southern-fried detective in the room. Knives Out wasn't supposed to be a massive franchise. It was a palette cleanser. After the chaos of Star Wars, Johnson wanted to do something small and fun. Then it made $300 million. Netflix saw the dollar signs and cut a check so big it basically guaranteed a trilogy.
We just saw the release of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery in late 2025. This one felt different. If Glass Onion was a loud, neon-soaked satire of tech bros, Wake Up Dead Man went back to something more somber and, frankly, a bit creepier. Setting a murder mystery in a church with Josh Brolin and Glenn Close? That’s classic Rian. He loves taking a genre that feels "solved" and finding a new angle.
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But here’s the thing: he’s not just doing Benoit Blanc forever. He’s already prepping a '70s-style paranoid thriller with a "sci-fi twinge" to shoot in 2026. He's described it as being in the vein of The Parallax View or Klute. It’s a pivot back to the high-concept stuff like Looper, which is great news for fans who miss his darker, more philosophical side.
Why Everyone Still Argues About The Last Jedi
You can’t write about Rian Johnson movies and tv shows without touching the third rail. Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi. Even now, years later, the mentions on his social media are a battlefield.
Critics loved it. A huge chunk of the fanbase hated it. Why? Because Johnson did the one thing you aren't supposed to do with a legacy franchise: he told the audience their theories didn't matter. Rey’s parents weren't famous. Snoke wasn't some ancient mastermind. Luke Skywalker was a grumpy hermit who wanted the Jedi to end.
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For some, it was a refreshing deconstruction. For others, it was a betrayal. As of early 2026, the long-rumored "Rian Johnson Trilogy" is officially dead. He confirmed it himself in interviews recently, saying the project is "effectively grounded." He’s still got a lot of love for Lucasfilm, but he’s clearly moved on to building his own sandbox with T-Street Productions. It’s probably for the best. The man works better when he isn't handcuffed to forty years of lore.
The Small Screen: Poker Face and Breaking Bad
If you haven't seen Poker Face, you’re missing the best version of Rian Johnson. It’s his love letter to Columbo. Natasha Lyonne plays Charlie Cale, a woman who can instinctively tell when someone is lying. It’s a "howcatchem" rather than a "whodunit." You see the murder happen in the first ten minutes, then you watch Charlie figure out how they did it.
Season 2 just hit Peacock in May 2025, and it’s even more chaotic than the first. The guest star list is basically a Hollywood directory: Giancarlo Esposito, Cynthia Erivo, and even John Mulaney. It’s the kind of TV that doesn't really exist anymore—episodic, fun, and smart without being pretentious.
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A Quick Look at the Directing Highlights:
- Brick (2005): The debut. Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a high schooler talking like a 1940s private eye. It shouldn't work. It works perfectly.
- The Brothers Bloom (2008): A con-man movie that’s actually a secret tragedy. It’s his most overlooked film.
- Looper (2012): Time travel where the physics don't matter as much as the regret.
- Breaking Bad ("Fly", "Fifty-One", "Ozymandias"): He directed the most polarizing episode (the fly) and the most legendary one (the desert showdown).
The T-Street Era and the Future of Original Stories
Johnson and his partner Ram Bergman formed T-Street to protect original filmmaking. They aren't just making Rian's movies; they're producing stuff like American Fiction and 3 Body Problem. It’s a power move in an industry obsessed with remakes.
Looking ahead to the rest of 2026 and 2027, the focus is shifting. There's talk of a Poker Face spin-off or a new lead if Natasha Lyonne moves on, but the big eyes are on that paranoid thriller. He’s also hinted that while the Knives Out contract with Netflix is technically up after the third film, he’d be open to a fourth if he finds a "reason for it to exist." He’s a writer who gets bored easily. If he doesn't have a new way to flip the genre, he won't do it just for the paycheck.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you want to actually understand the "Johnson Style" beyond the big blockbusters, start with the deep cuts. Watch Brick first—it’s the DNA for everything he’s done since. Then, head to Peacock for the first season of Poker Face to see how he handles a mystery when the audience already knows the killer. Finally, keep an eye on trade publications for the official title of his 2026 sci-fi thriller; it’s likely to be his most ambitious project since Looper.