---
name: "Rian Johnson"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/rian-johnson"
fi1m_id: "rian-johnson"
imdb_id: "nm0426059"
tmdb_id: 67367
wikidata_id: "Q621818"
roles: ["Director","Producer","Writer"]
born: "17 December 1973"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 13
average_fi1m_score: 80
average_as: "director"
average_over: 9
updated: "2026-10-22T02:47:44.438678+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Rian Johnson

## Identity

Rian Johnson

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/rian-johnson
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** rian-johnson
- **IMDb ID:** nm0426059
- **TMDB ID:** 67367
- **Wikidata ID:** Q621818
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rian_Johnson, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q621818, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0426059/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/67367

Director and producer. Born 17 December 1973 in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Producer, Writer
- **Born:** 17 December 1973, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
- **Active:** 2006–present
- **Also known as:** Rian Craig Johnson
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 13: 9 directing, 3 producing, 1 other
- **Frequently works with:** [Ram Bergman](https://film.one/person/ram-bergman.md), [Daniel Craig](https://film.one/person/daniel-craig.md), [John Dahl](https://film.one/person/john-dahl.md), [Adam Arkin](https://film.one/person/adam-arkin.md), [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://film.one/person/joseph-gordon-levitt.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 2 Oscar nominations
- **Average Fi1m score:** 80, as director, over 9 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 86 (2), 2010s 79 (4), 2020s 72 (7)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 80 to 78 across 8 titles
- **Score spread:** 5 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Genres:** Crime 6, Mystery 5, Comedy 4, Drama 3, Action 2, Science Fiction 2
- **Screen time:** 13 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,717m across 6 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rian_Johnson, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q621818, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0426059/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/67367

## Coming up

- *A Place in Hell* (2027-04-23), Producer

## Streaming the US now

- **Netflix:** [*Breaking Bad*](https://film.one/tv/breaking-bad.md) (91), [*Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery*](https://film.one/film/wake-up-dead-man-a-knives-out-mystery.md) (77), [*Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery*](https://film.one/film/glass-onion-a-knives-out-mystery.md) (72)
- **Peacock:** [*Poker Face*](https://film.one/tv/poker-face.md) (82)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Knives Out*](https://film.one/film/knives-out.md) (81)
- **Apple TV:** [*Looper*](https://film.one/film/looper.md) (78)
- **Disney+:** [*Star Wars: The Last Jedi*](https://film.one/film/star-wars-the-last-jedi.md) (76)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Rian Johnson

> Rian Johnson’s mysteries work because the people solving them are worth spending time with. We recommend them for their wit and warmth, with a caveat: he can keep his most interesting characters waiting while he explains the case.

Charlie Cale can spot a lie, but she still has to work out what it means. In *Poker Face* (2023), Natasha Lyonne makes that process funny and companionable, and Johnson, one of the programme’s writers and directors, understands the pleasure of watching her work. The weaker episodes spend too long on the crime before getting back to Charlie, by which time we are waiting for Lyonne rather than following the case.

Before the whodunits came the neo-noir debut *Brick* (2005) and the science-fiction thriller *Looper* (2012). Johnson took his taste for upsetting expectations into an established series with *Star Wars: The Last Jedi* (2017). *Knives Out* (2019) brought him back to original mysteries, followed by *Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery* (2022). He likes to start with a kind of story we recognise, then change what we expect from it.

*Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery* (2025) gives Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc someone worth arguing with: Josh O’Connor’s young priest, Jud Duplenticy. Blanc trusts evidence; Jud has built his life on faith, and their disagreement actually drives the case. O’Connor makes Jud’s desire to be liked funny and touching without making his belief look foolish. It is the strongest partnership Johnson has written for Blanc, although too many of the other actors are left sitting in pews with little to contribute.

Cinematographer Steve Yedlin gives the church grey daylight and candlelit faces, a useful change from the brightness of the earlier Blanc films. Production designer Rick Heinrichs’s tall, bare nave makes the congregation look small, while Nathan Johnson’s heavier score is effective partly because it knows when to stop. Editor Bob Ducsay’s patience suits the opening hour better than the repeated interviews that follow. We grew restless during those interviews because they kept telling us things we had already understood. Start with *Poker Face* for the company, and forgive the occasional wait for Lyonne.

## Biography

Rian Craig Johnson (born 17 December 1973) is an American film and television director, writer and producer. He was born in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Johnson made his feature directorial debut with *Brick* (2005). His subsequent films include *The Brothers Bloom* (2008), *Looper* (2012), *Star Wars: The Last Jedi* (2017), *Knives Out* (2019) and *Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery* (2022). He directed, wrote and produced *Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery* (2025).

On television, Johnson directed episodes of *Breaking Bad* (2008–2013) and created the series *Poker Face* (2023), for which he also wrote and directed the premiere episode.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, hollywoodreporter.com.*

## On Fi1m (13)

### Directed (9) — the average rests on these

- *Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery* (2025), Fi1m 77, Director, Writer, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/wake-up-dead-man-a-knives-out-mystery.md)
- *Poker Face* (2023), Fi1m 82, Creator, Director, Writer, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/tv/poker-face.md)
- *Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery* (2022), Fi1m 72, Producer, Director, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/glass-onion-a-knives-out-mystery.md)
- *Knives Out* (2019), Fi1m 81, Producer, Director, Writer — [page](https://film.one/film/knives-out.md)
- *Star Wars: The Last Jedi* (2017), Fi1m 76, Writer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/star-wars-the-last-jedi.md)
- *Looper* (2012), Fi1m 78, Writer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/looper.md)
- *Terriers* (2010), Fi1m 82, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/terriers.md)
- *Breaking Bad* (2008), Fi1m 91, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/breaking-bad.md)
- *Brick* (2006), Fi1m 81, Writer, Editor, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/brick.md)

### Produced (3)

- *3 Body Problem* (2024), Fi1m 65, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/tv/3-body-problem.md)
- *American Fiction* (2023), Fi1m 73, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/american-fiction.md)
- *Fair Play* (2023), Fi1m 68, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/fair-play.md)

### Also credited (1) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *Scream* (2022), Fi1m 66, as Party Guest (voice) (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/scream-2022.md)

## Complete filmography (59)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *A Place in Hell* (2027), Producer
- *The Only Living Pickpocket in New York* (2026), Executive Producer — coming soon, [page](https://film.one/film/the-only-living-pickpocket-in-new-york.md)
- *The Hawk* (2026), series, Executive Producer
- *Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery* (2025), Director, Writer, Producer — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/film/wake-up-dead-man-a-knives-out-mystery.md)
- *Frankenstein* (2025), Thanks — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/frankenstein.md)
- *3 Body Problem* (2024), series, Executive Producer — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/tv/3-body-problem.md)
- *American Fiction* (2023), Executive Producer — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/american-fiction.md)
- *Fair Play* (2023), Executive Producer — Fi1m 68, [page](https://film.one/film/fair-play.md)
- *The Space Western of the Southwest* (2023), Actor
- *Poker Face* (2023), series, Writer, Director, Executive Producer, Creator — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/poker-face.md)
- *Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery* (2022), Director, Writer, Producer — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/glass-onion-a-knives-out-mystery.md)
- *Blood Relatives* (2022), Thanks
- *Metal Lords* (2022), Thanks
- *Scream* (2022), as Party Guest (voice) (uncredited) · Thanks — Fi1m 66, [page](https://film.one/film/scream-2022.md)
- *tick, tick... BOOM!* (2021), Thanks — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/tick-tick-boom.md)
- *Last Night in Soho* (2021), Thanks — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/last-night-in-soho.md)
- *Capone* (2020), Thanks
- *Knives Out* (2019), Director, Producer, Writer — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/knives-out.md)
- *Scare Package* (2019), Thanks
- *Destroyer* (2018), Thanks
- *The Last Jedi: Meet the Porgs* (2018), Actor
- *Star Wars: The Last Jedi* (2017), Writer, Director — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/star-wars-the-last-jedi.md)
- *Baby Driver* (2017), Thanks — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/baby-driver.md)
- *Rogue One: A Star Wars Story* (2016), as Imperial Technician (uncredited) · Thanks — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/rogue-one-a-star-wars-story.md)
- *The Hollars* (2016), Thanks
- *The Invitation* (2016), Thanks
- *Tales of Halloween* (2015), Thanks
- *BoJack Horseman* (2014), series, as Brian (voice) — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/tv/bojack-horseman.md)
- *Nosferatu vs. Father Pipecock & Sister Funk* (2014), Thanks
- *The World's End* (2013), Thanks
- *The English Teacher* (2013), Thanks
- *Welcome to the Jungle* (2013), Thanks
- *Looper* (2012), Director, Writer — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/looper.md)
- *The Outsider: A Looper's Story* (2012), Thanks
- *The Woman* (2011), as Songs
- *Brawler* (2011), Thanks
- *Terriers* (2010), series, Director — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/terriers.md)
- *The Life of the World to Come* (2010), Director
- *The Brothers Bloom* (2008), Director, Writer
- *Spike* (2008), Thanks
- *Breaking Bad* (2008), series, Director — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/tv/breaking-bad.md)
- *Building Brick* (2006), Camera Operator, Thanks
- *Brick* (2006), Director, Editor, Writer — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/brick.md)
- *Escargots* (2006), Camera Operator
- *May* (2003), Editor
- *People Are Dead* (2002), Thanks
- *The Psychology of Dream Analysis* (2002), Director, Writer
- *Ben Boyer and the Phenomenology of Automobile Marketing* (2001), Director
- *Phyfutima* (1998), Camera Operator
- *Evil Demon Golfball from Hell!!!* (1997), Writer, Director, Editor
- *Greater Than a Tiger* (1997), Editor
- *Cleaning the Pool* (1995), Director, Writer
- *Hey Lady, You Dropped Your Wallet!!!* (1993), as The Whacky Protagonist · Writer, Director, Editor
- *Ninja Ko: Origami Master* (1990), Director, Writer
- *Disinherited*, series, Executive Producer
- *Untitled Sci-Fi Rian Johnson Film*, Director, Writer, Producer
- *Turpentine*, Producer
- *2034*, Producer
- *Untitled Gene Kelly Project*, Producer

## Gallery

- ![Rian Johnson](https://film.one/media/person/7585/gallery-b88fd401620a.jpg) Rian Johnson — Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Rian_Johnson_by_Gage_Skidmore_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Rian_Johnson_by_Gage_Skidmore_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Avant-première de "Glass Onion: Une histoire à couteaux tirés" à la Cinémathèque française en décembre 2022, avec de gauche à droite: Frédéric Bonnaud, Ram Berg](https://film.one/media/person/7585/gallery-8b0149386b41.jpg) Avant-première de "Glass Onion: Une histoire à couteaux tirés" à la Cinémathèque française en décembre 2022, avec de gauche à droite: Frédéric Bonnaud, Ram Berg — ManoSolo13241324, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Avant-premi%C3%A8re_Glass_Onion_Cin%C3%A9math%C3%A8que_Fran%C3%A7aise.jpg/1280px-Avant-premi%C3%A8re_Glass_Onion_Cin%C3%A9math%C3%A8que_Fran%C3%A7aise.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Rian Johnson at the premiere of The Brothers Bloom, Toronto Film Festival 2008. He's directing Looper. The 2012 fall big budget with Joseph Gordon Levitt, Bruce (2007)](https://film.one/media/person/7585/gallery-b656d73ddab2.jpg) Rian Johnson at the premiere of The Brothers Bloom, Toronto Film Festival 2008. He's directing Looper. The 2012 fall big budget with Joseph Gordon Levitt, Bruce (2007) — GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Brothers_Bloom17_%287137637157%29.jpg/1280px-Brothers_Bloom17_%287137637157%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Rian Johnson at the premiere of The Brothers Bloom, Toronto Film Festival 2008. He's directing Looper. The 2012 fall big budget with Joseph Gordon Levitt, Bruce (2007)](https://film.one/media/person/7585/gallery-fbd5321afe84.jpg) Rian Johnson at the premiere of The Brothers Bloom, Toronto Film Festival 2008. He's directing Looper. The 2012 fall big budget with Joseph Gordon Levitt, Bruce (2007) — GabboT, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b1/Brothers_Bloom18_%286991556080%29.jpg/1280px-Brothers_Bloom18_%286991556080%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Rian Johnson](https://film.one/media/person/7585/gallery-a36b07e79c46.jpg) Rian Johnson — Image via TMDB
- ![Rian Johnson](https://film.one/media/person/7585/gallery-ec8789c235d7.jpg) Rian Johnson — Image via TMDB
- ![Rian Johnson](https://film.one/media/person/7585/gallery-51c3bf4715e1.jpg) Rian Johnson — Image via TMDB
- ![from <a href="https://www.popularfitness.com" rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.popularfitness.com</a> Director Rian Johnson at the Toronto Internationa (2019)](https://film.one/media/person/7585/gallery-67b2cd39a803.jpg) from <a href="https://www.popularfitness.com" rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.popularfitness.com</a> Director Rian Johnson at the Toronto Internationa (2019) — Peter Kudlacz, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/Director_Rian_Johnson_%2848707250893%29.jpg/1280px-Director_Rian_Johnson_%2848707250893%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Rian Johnson speaking at the 2012 WonderCon in Anaheim, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere.](https://film.one/media/person/7585/gallery-5c125209100d.jpg) Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Rian Johnson speaking at the 2012 WonderCon in Anaheim, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere. — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Joseph_Gordon-Levitt_%26_Rian_Johnson_%286855056308%29.jpg/1280px-Joseph_Gordon-Levitt_%26_Rian_Johnson_%286855056308%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Rian Johnson](https://film.one/media/person/7585/gallery-5e2dd4ec1542.jpg) Rian Johnson — Image via TMDB
- ![Rian Johnson](https://film.one/media/person/7585/gallery-dd654eea5a4d.jpg) Rian Johnson — Image via TMDB
- ![Rian Johnson](https://film.one/media/person/7585/gallery-cdfa7ecbcba3.jpg) Rian Johnson — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 2 nominated

- 2023: Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated), for *Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery*
- 2020: Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated), for *Knives Out*

### Other awards — 1 won

- Time 100 2023: Time 100 (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/rian-johnson