Rian Johnson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Johnson at the 2025Toronto International Film Festival | |
| Born | Rian Craig Johnson (1973-12-17)December 17, 1973 (age 51) Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1990–present |
| Known for |
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| Spouse | |
| Relatives | Aaron Johnson (brother) Nathan Johnson (cousin) |
Rian Craig Johnson (born December 17, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He made his directorial debut with theneo-noirmystery filmBrick (2005), which received positive reviews and grossed nearly $4 million on a $450,000 budget. Transitioning to higher-profile films, Johnson achieved mainstream recognition for writing and directing the science-fiction thrillerLooper (2012) to critical and commercial success. Johnson landed his largest project when he wrote and directed the space operaStar Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), which grossed over $1 billion. He returned to the mystery genre withKnives Out (2019) and its sequelGlass Onion (2022), both of which earned himAcademy Award nominations forBest Original Screenplay andBest Adapted Screenplay, respectively.[1]
Additionally, Johnson is also known for directing three highly acclaimed episodes for the television seriesBreaking Bad (2008–2013), namely "Ozymandias", "Fly", and "Fifty-One"; for the last, he received theDirectors Guild of America Award forOutstanding Directing – Drama Series in 2013. He also created a murder mystery series titledPoker Face forPeacock withNatasha Lyonne. Johnson was named one of the100 most influential people in the world byTime magazine in 2023.[2]
Johnson was born on December 17, 1973, inSilver Spring, Maryland.[3] He grew up inDenver, Colorado, until sixth grade,[4] when he moved toSan Clemente, California.[3] He attendedSan Clemente High School (graduating in 1992),[3] whereBrick was predominantly filmed. He attended theUniversity of Southern California and graduated from theUSC School of Cinematic Arts in 1996.[5][6] Johnson's second short film,Evil Demon Golfball from Hell!!!, loosely based onEdgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart", was included as aneaster egg on theLooper Blu-ray.[7]
Johnson has said he was inspired to become a film director after seeingWoody Allen's 1977 film,Annie Hall. "It moved me in a way that very few other films have moved me. That's something that, I pray to God, if I am able to keep making movies, I can only hope, twenty years down the line maybe, I'll be able to approach."[8]
Johnson's debut film,Brick, is a crime drama released in 2005 and made for just under $500,000. Johnson has often said that he looked to the novels ofDashiell Hammett as inspiration for the film's unique use of language. While the film is classified as afilm noir, Johnson claims that no references were made to film noir during production, so as to focus the production away from reproducing a genre piece.Brick was released on DVD byFocus Features.[9]
Johnson directed the video forthe Mountain Goats' song "Woke Up New" in 2006. He is a professed fan[citation needed] of the band and was asked to direct the video when bandleaderJohn Darnielle noticed a reference to them in the credits forBrick. A song is credited to "The Hospital Bombers Experience", which is a reference to the Mountain Goats song titled "The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton". Johnson also directed a live performance film of the Mountain Goats' 2009 albumThe Life of the World to Come. The film consists of a single shot, depicting Darnielle performing the entire album on guitar and piano with minimal accompaniment. This film was screened in New York City, Chicago, Seattle, and Portland, Oregon upon its completion, and was released as a limited edition DVD onRecord Store Day (April 17, 2010).
Johnson's second film,The Brothers Bloom, is a con-man story released in theaters in May 2009 to moderately positive critical reviews.[10] OnMetacritic, the film was assigned aweighted average score of 55 out of 100 based on 26 reviews from mainstream critics.[11][12]
In March 2010, Johnson announced that he was directing an episode of the TV seriesBreaking Bad for its third season. The episode, "Fly", aired on May 23, 2010. Johnson directed a second episode of the show, "Fifty-One", which aired on August 5, 2012, and earned him aDirectors Guild of America Award.[13] He directed a third episode, "Ozymandias", which received high praise from critics, frequently cited as being 'one of the best television episodes' to air.[14][15][16][17]
Johnson has made a number of short films, some of which are available on his website. His short film from high school titledNinja Ko is available as aneaster egg on theBrick DVD. After working withJoseph Gordon-Levitt onBrick, the two shot a short film inParis, France titledEscargots. In 2002, he directed a short film titledThe Psychology of Dream Analysis, which is available to view on his Vimeo account.[18] Johnson directed the episode "Manifest Destiny" of the TV seriesTerriers.[19]
Johnson's third film,Looper, began shooting inLouisiana on January 24, 2011 and was released on September 28, 2012, byTriStar Pictures andFilmDistrict.[20] Set in the near future, it has been described as dark science fiction, and involves hitmen whose victims are sent from the future.[21] The film opened the2012 Toronto International Film Festival[22] and the 2012Palo Alto International Film Festival.[23]Looper was a surprise success at the box office.
On June 20, 2014, news broke that Johnson would write and direct the eighth installment in theStar Wars film series.[24] Johnson confirmed the report that following month and the film,Star Wars: The Last Jedi, was released on December 15, 2017, to positive reviews from critics and audiences.[25] AfterColin Trevorrow departedEpisode IX, Johnson turned down an offer fromLucasfilm to write and direct the follow-up toThe Last Jedi.[26] On November 9, 2017, it was announced that Johnson would write a new trilogy ofStar Wars films, separate from the main story arc of previous films in the franchise, and would direct the first installment of his trilogy.[27]
FollowingThe Last Jedi, Johnson directed the murder mystery filmKnives Out, starringDaniel Craig,Ana de Armas andChristopher Plummer.[28] He penned the script and co-produced with longtime producing partnerRam Bergman.[28]Knives Out was released on November 27, 2019, and was a major success with critics, as well as audiences,[29] grossing over $300 million at the box office worldwide. It earned Johnson his firstAcademy Award nomination, forBest Original Screenplay.[30]
In September 2019, Johnson and producer Ram Bergman launchedT-Street, a company that will generate original content for film and TV shows.[31] The venture is fully capitalized by global media companyValence Media.[31] T-Street launched with a first look deal with Valence Media'sMedia Rights Capital for film and television projects.[31] Valence Media holds a substantial minority equity stake in the company. Johnson and Bergman intend to make their own original creations through the company, and produce others.[31]
Due to the success ofKnives Out,Lionsgate announced that a sequel was officially approved in February 2020, with Johnson set to return to write and direct the film.[30] In July 2020, Johnson directed a commercial for the augmented mobile video gamePokémon Go.[32] In March 2021, it was announced that Johnson was writing/directing a ten-episode mystery drama television series forPeacock titledPoker Face, starringNatasha Lyonne, which premiered on the service on January 26, 2023.[33][34] That same month, it was reported thatNetflix had obtained the rights to two sequels toKnives Out for around $450 million.[35] Filming on the firstKnives Out sequel,Glass Onion, began on June 28, 2021.[36] After premiering at the 2022Toronto International Film Festival, the film received a one-week theatrical release across the United States and in other international markets from November 23 to 29, 2022, before streaming onNetflix beginning on December 23.[37] In March 2024, Johnson signed a deal withWarner Bros. to produce two films under his studio T-Street.[38] Due to the success of theKnives Out films, Johnson's plans for aStar Wars trilogy never materialized and the project never got past the conceptual stage. However, he did not rule out working with Lucasfilm in the future.[39]
Johnson is a folk singer andbanjo player. His brother is music producerAaron Johnson. His cousinNathan Johnson composed the scores forBrick,The Brothers Bloom,Looper,Knives Out andGlass Onion. Rian and Nathan make up a folk duo called the Preserves.[40]
Johnson has been married to film writer, historian, and podcasterKarina Longworth since 2018.[41][42] They met when she was working as a film critic.[43]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Brick | Yes | Yes | No | Also editor |
| 2008 | The Brothers Bloom | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2012 | Looper | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2017 | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2019 | Knives Out | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2022 | Glass Onion | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2025 | Wake Up Dead Man | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Executive producer
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Ninja Ko, the Origami Master | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 1997 | Evil Demon Golfball from Hell!!! | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2001 | Ben Boyer and the Phenomenology of Automobile Marketing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2002 | The Psychology of Dream Analysis | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Executive producer | Episode(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Terriers | Yes | No | No | "Manifest Destiny" | |
| Breaking Bad | Yes | No | No | "Fly" | ||
| 2012 | Yes | No | No | "Fifty-One" | ||
| 2013 | Yes | No | No | "Ozymandias" | ||
| 2014 | HitRecord on TV | No | Yes | No | "RE: Trash" | |
| 2023 | Poker Face | Yes | Yes | Yes | "Dead Man's Hand" | Creator |
| Yes | No | Yes | "The Night Shift" | |||
| Yes | No | Yes | "Escape from Shit Mountain" | |||
| No | Yes | Yes | "The Hook" | |||
| 2025 | Yes | No | Yes | "The Game Is a Foot" | ||
| 2024 | 3 Body Problem | No | No | Yes |
Documentary films
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Woke Up New" | The Mountain Goats |
| 2018 | "Oh Baby" | LCD Soundsystem |
Commercials
| Year | Title | Product | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Look Closer | Pokémon Go Fest | [32] |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | BoJack Horseman | Bryan (voice) | Episodes: "Yes, And" and "Out to Sea" |
| 2016 | Rogue One | Imperial Technician | Cameo role |
| 2017 | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Luke Skywalker's Hand | Cameo; as Hand double |
Technical credits
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Omaha | Production Assistant |
| 1997 | Greater Than a Tiger | Editor |
| 1998 | Phyfutima | Camera Operator |
| 2002 | May | Editor |
Work Person | 2005 | 2008 | 2012 | 2017 | 2019 | 2022 | 2023– | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Gordon-Levitt |  | | | | | | | |
| Nora Zehetner | | | ||||||
| Lukas Haas | | | ||||||
| Noah Segan | | | | | | | | |
| Andy Nyman | | | ||||||
| Daniel Craig | | | | |||||
| K Callan | | | ||||||
| Natasha Lyonne | | | ||||||
| Ram Bergman (producer) | | | | | | | | |
| Steve Yedlin (cinematographer) | | | | | | | | |
| Bob Ducsay (editor) | | | | | | | ||
| Nathan Johnson (composer) | | | | | | | |
Ms. Longworth said, at the house in the Los Feliz neighborhood that she rents here with her boyfriend of five years, the director Rian Johnson ("Looper").
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