Rian Johnson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rian Johnson
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Johnson in 2017
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| Born |
Rian Craig Johnson
December 17, 1973 Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1990–present |
| Known for |
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| 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 a mystery film called Brick (2005). Later, he gained fame for the science-fiction movie Looper (2012).
Johnson also wrote and directed Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), which was a huge success. He then returned to making mystery films with Knives Out (2019) and its sequel Glass Onion (2022). These movies earned him nominations for the Academy Award for Best Screenplay.
Besides movies, Johnson has directed episodes for the TV series Breaking Bad, including the highly praised "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.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Rian Johnson was born on December 17, 1973, in Silver Spring, Maryland. He spent his early childhood in Denver, Colorado. When he was in sixth grade, his family moved to San Clemente, California.
He went to San Clemente High School, graduating in 1992. Interestingly, his first movie, Brick, was mostly filmed at this high school. After high school, he studied at the University of Southern California and finished his film studies at the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1996.
Filmmaking Career
Johnson has shared that he was inspired to become a film director after watching Woody Allen's movie Annie Hall in 1977. He felt a strong connection to the film and hoped to create movies that would move people in a similar way.
First Films and Early Work
Johnson's first movie, Brick, was released in 2005. It was a crime drama made with a small budget. Johnson said he got ideas for the movie's unique language from the novels of Dashiell Hammett. Even though it's called a "film noir" (a type of dark crime movie), Johnson tried not to copy other film noirs during production.
In 2006, Johnson directed a music video for the band the Mountain Goats. He was a big fan of the band, and they asked him to direct after noticing a reference to their music in the credits of Brick. He also directed a live performance film for the band's 2009 album.
His second movie, The Brothers Bloom, came out in 2009. It was a story about con artists and received generally good reviews.
Breaking into Television
In 2010, Johnson directed an episode of the popular TV series Breaking Bad called "Fly". He later directed two more episodes for the show: "Fifty-One" in 2012, which won him an award, and "Ozymandias" in 2013. The "Ozymandias" episode is often called one of the best TV episodes ever made.
Johnson has also made several short films. One from his high school days, Ninja Ko, can be found as a hidden extra on the Brick DVD.
Major Movie Successes
Johnson's third movie, Looper, was released in 2012. It's a dark science fiction film set in the future about hitmen. The movie was a big hit at the box office and was shown at major film festivals.
In 2014, it was announced that Johnson would write and direct the eighth movie in the Star Wars series. This film, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, came out on December 15, 2017. It received positive reviews from both critics and audiences. Later, Johnson was offered to write and direct another Star Wars film, but he decided not to. Instead, it was announced that he would create a brand new Star Wars trilogy, separate from the main story, and direct the first movie in that new series.
After The Last Jedi, Johnson directed a murder mystery film called Knives Out (2019). It starred Daniel Craig and was co-produced by his long-time partner, Ram Bergman. Knives Out was released in November 2019 and was a huge success, earning over $300 million worldwide. It also earned Johnson his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
New Projects and Production Company
In 2019, Johnson and producer Ram Bergman started their own company called T-Street. This company creates new movies and TV shows.
Because Knives Out was so popular, a sequel was planned. In 2021, it was announced that Netflix bought the rights to two sequels for a large sum of money. The first sequel, Glass Onion, started filming in June 2021. It was shown in theaters for a short time in November 2022 before being released on Netflix in December.
In 2021, Johnson also started writing and directing a ten-episode mystery TV series for Peacock called Poker Face, which premiered in January 2023.
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, 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, who is a film writer and historian.
Filmography
Feature films
| 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 |
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" | |||
| 2024 | 3 Body Problem | No | No | Yes |
Awards and Nominations
Rian Johnson has won several awards for his work, especially for his screenplays (the scripts he writes for movies).
- For Brick, he won the Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision at the Sundance Film Festival.
- For Looper, he won several awards for Best Original Screenplay from different film critic associations.
- For Breaking Bad, he won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Drama Series for the episode "Fifty-One".
- For Star Wars: The Last Jedi, he won the Saturn Award for Best Writing.
- For Knives Out, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
- For Glass Onion, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
See also
In Spanish: Rian Johnson para niños
