Rian Johnson’s Next Film Will Have Sci-Fi Elements, But Not Those Sci-Fi Elements

With the release of Rian Johnson’s third Knives Out film right around the corner, the director has his sights set on his next project. It won’t be something Knives Out. It will be something sci-fi. But no, it will not be THAT particular sci-fi.

“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 told Empire about his next movie.

“Light sci-fi,” of course, is not a way to describe Star Wars so, as usual, Johnson stood his ground on a potential return to that galaxy far, far away. “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.”

Johnson is very excited about this new thing, though, and even though “light sci-fi” and “’70s paranoid thriller” isn’t much to go on, we’re in. Let’s not forget that before Johnson made his wonderful yet controversial Star Wars sequel, The Last Jedi (and was tapped to make three more), he dabbled in both thriller and sci-fi, most notably in the excellent time travel film Looper. Plus, he also created and produces the amazing Peacock show Poker Face, which, the director is on record with io9 confirming, is also sci-fi.

“It’s definitely superhuman in that it’s beyond reality in terms of what humans can do,” Johnson once told us of Charlie Cale’s (Natasha Lyonne) ability to know if a person is lying or not. “But it’s also something that’s weirdly plausible. So if it means you’ll cover it on io9, I think. Yes, it’s absolutely [a superpower].”

Come to think of it, maybe he’s just making a Poker Face movie since that show has definitely got some 1970s vibes (more detective serial than paranoid thriller, but we’ll go with it) as well as that “light sci-fi.” We’d be fine with that. But, we imagine, Johnson will do even better.

“The most exciting thing right now is this idea I have in my head for the next thing I’m gonna make,” Johnson said of the next project. “And I think ultimately, that’s all you can do, is just kind of follow your nose.”

Johnson’s new movie, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, opens in select theaters on November 26 before its Netflix debut on December 12.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.