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Rian Johnson
Star Wars- The Last Jedi Japan Premiere Red Carpet- Rian Johnson (38905282292) (cropped).jpg
Johnson in 2017
Born
Rian Craig Johnson

(1973-12-17) December 17, 1973 (age 51)
Alma mater University of Southern California
Occupation
  • Director
  • producer
  • writer
Years active 1990–present
Known for
Spouse(s)
Karina Longworth
(m. 2018)
Relatives Aaron Johnson (brother)
Nathan Johnson (cousin)

Rian Craig Johnson (born December 17, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He is known for writing and directing many popular movies and TV shows. His first movie was the mystery film Brick (2005), which was made with a small budget but earned good reviews.

Later, Johnson became famous for writing and directing the science-fiction thriller Looper (2012). He then took on a huge project, writing and directing Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), which made over $1 billion worldwide. He also returned to mystery films with Knives Out (2019) and its sequel Glass Onion (2022). Both films earned him nominations for the Academy Award for Best Screenplay.

Johnson also directed three highly praised episodes of the TV series Breaking Bad (2008–2013), including "Ozymandias". He also created a new mystery TV series called Poker Face for Peacock, starring Natasha Lyonne. In 2023, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Early life and education

Rian Johnson was born on December 17, 1973, in Silver Spring, Maryland. He grew up in Denver, Colorado, before moving to San Clemente, California, in sixth grade. He went to San Clemente High School, where his first movie, Brick, was mostly filmed.

After high school, he studied at the University of Southern California. He graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1996. One of his early short films, Evil Demon Golfball from Hell!!!, was based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe.

Filmmaking career

Johnson has shared that he was inspired to become a film director after watching Woody Allen's 1977 film, Annie Hall. He said it moved him in a special way.

First films and music videos

Johnson's first movie, Brick, was a crime drama released in 2005. It was made for less than $500,000. Johnson often mentioned that he used the writing style of author Dashiell Hammett as inspiration for the film's unique language. Even though Brick is a film noir (a type of crime film), Johnson focused on telling the story rather than just copying the style of other noir films.

In 2006, Johnson directed a music video for the Mountain Goats' song "Woke Up New." He is a big fan of the band. He also directed a live concert film for the band's 2009 album, The Life of the World to Come.

His second film, The Brothers Bloom, was a story about con artists. It was released in May 2009 and received good reviews from critics.

Television work

In March 2010, Johnson announced he would direct an episode of the TV series Breaking Bad. The episode, "Fly", aired in May 2010. He directed two more episodes for the show: "Fifty-One" in 2012 and "Ozymandias" in 2013. "Ozymandias" was highly praised by critics and is often called one of the best TV episodes ever. Johnson won a Directors Guild of America Award for his work on "Fifty-One."

Johnson has also made several short films. One of his high school short films, Ninja Ko, can be found as a hidden feature on the Brick DVD. He also directed a short film called Escargots with actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Paris. In 2002, he directed The Psychology of Dream Analysis.

Major film projects

Rian Johnson by Gage Skidmore
Johnson in 2012

Johnson's third film, Looper, started filming in Louisiana in January 2011. It was released on September 28, 2012. This movie is a dark science fiction story set in the near future. It is about hitmen who get rid of victims sent back from the future. Looper was a big success at the box office.

On June 20, 2014, it was announced that Johnson would write and direct the eighth film in the Star Wars series. He confirmed this news the next month. The film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, was released on December 15, 2017. It received positive reviews from both critics and audiences.

After The Last Jedi, Johnson directed the murder mystery film Knives Out. It starred Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, and Christopher Plummer. Johnson wrote the script and produced the film with his long-time partner, Ram Bergman. Knives Out was released on November 27, 2019. It was a huge hit with critics and audiences, earning over $300 million worldwide. Johnson received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for this film.

In September 2019, Johnson and Ram Bergman started their own company called T-Street. This company creates new movies and TV shows.

Because Knives Out was so successful, a sequel was approved in February 2020. Johnson returned to write and direct it. In March 2021, it was announced that Johnson was writing and directing a ten-episode mystery TV series for Peacock called Poker Face. It premiered on January 26, 2023.

In 2021, Netflix bought the rights to two sequels for Knives Out. The first sequel, Glass Onion, began filming on June 28, 2021. It was shown in theaters for one week in November 2022 before streaming on Netflix starting December 23. In March 2024, Johnson signed a deal with Warner Bros. to produce two more films through his T-Street studio.

Personal life

Rian Johnson enjoys playing the banjo and is a folk singer. His brother, Aaron Johnson, is a music producer. His cousin, Nathan Johnson, has composed the music for many of Rian's films, including Brick, The Brothers Bloom, Looper, Knives Out, and Glass Onion. Rian and Nathan also have a folk music duo called the Preserves.

Since 2018, Johnson has been married to Karina Longworth. She is a film writer, historian, and podcaster. They met when she was working as a film critic.

Filmography

Feature film

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 Post-production

Executive producer

Short film

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

Television

Year Title Director Writer Executive producer Episode 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 ... Mountain"
No Yes Yes "The Hook"
2025 Yes No Yes "The Game Is a Foot"
2024 3 Body Problem No No Yes

Other works

Documentary films

  • The Mountain Goats: The Life of the World to Come (2010)

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

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

Frequent collaborators

Work
Person
2005 2008 2012 2017 2019 2022 2023– 2025
Brick
The Brothers Bloom
Looper
Knives Out
Glass Onion
Poker Face
Wake Up Dead Man
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Nora Zehetner Yes Yes
Lukas Haas Yes Yes
Noah Segan Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Andy Nyman Yes Yes
Daniel Craig Yes Yes Yes
K Callan Yes Yes
Natasha Lyonne Yes Yes
Ram Bergman
(producer)
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Steve Yedlin
(cinematographer)
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Bob Ducsay
(editor)
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Nathan Johnson
(composer)
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Awards and recognition

Year Work Award Result
2005 Brick Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision Won
Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Nominated
2006 Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Won
Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Overlooked Film Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Director Won
Citizen Kane Award for Best Directorial Revelation Won
Deauville Film Festival Grand Special Prize Won
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Breakthrough Filmmaker Nominated
Utah Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Won
Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best First Feature Nominated
Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award Nominated
2007 Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best First Film Won
Empire Award for Best Male Newcomer Nominated
2008 The Brothers Bloom Stockholm International Film Festival Bronze Horse Nominated
2012 Looper Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Won
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Original Screenplay Won
Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form) Nominated
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Screenplay Won
National Board of Review Award for Best Original Screenplay Won
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Won
Utah Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Won
2013 Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
North Carolina Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Won
North Carolina Film Critics Association Award for Best Director Nominated
Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation Nominated
Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Saturn Award for Best Director Nominated
Breaking Bad Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Drama Series
(Episode: "Fifty-One")
Won
2018 Star Wars: The Last Jedi Empire Award for Best Director Won
Saturn Award for Best Director Nominated
Saturn Award for Best Writing Won
Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (Long Form) Nominated
Circuit Community Awards for Honorable Mentions Won
Denver Film Critics Society for Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated
Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation Nominated
2019 Knives Out Fantastic Fest Audience Award Nominated
Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film Won
Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay Won
Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Dublin Film Critics' Circle Award for Best Screenplay Nominated
Phoenix Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay Won
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Original Screenplay Won
Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Award for Best Original Screenplay Won
Seattle Film Critics Society Award for Best Screenplay Nominated
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay Won
Satellite Award for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical Nominated
Utah Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
2020 Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Screenplay Nominated
North Carolina Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle Award for Best Studio Film Won
Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle Award for Best Original Screenplay Won
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Nominated
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Hollywood Critics Association Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award for Best Screenplay, Original Nominated
Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Comedy Nominated
Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
2023 Glass Onion Austin Film Critics Association Award for Best Adapted Screenplay Won
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Adapted Screenplay Won
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Adapted Screenplay Won
Capri Hollywood International Film Festival Award for Best Adapted Screenplay Won
Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Nominated
Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated

See also

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