Rian Johnson Warner Bros. Two-Movie Deal Confirmed, The Last Jedi Writer/Director Coming For DC?
Rian Johnson is headed to Warner Bros Discovery. The filmmaker inked a deal to produce two films with Warner Bros. Motion Picture group under his T-Street company banner with Ram Bergman. It’s unclear if the films will be originals or under an existing IP, but it would certainly be interesting to see Johnson take on the DCU.
Warner Bros Is Snapping Up Major Talent
Rian Johnson’s deal with Warner Bros. Discovery is the latest in a series of deals the company has made with major Hollywood talents. Besides some controversial cost-cutting decisions by CEO David Zaslav, the company has signed big deals with major talents like Tom Cruise, Ryan Coohler, and Margot Robbie. It’s also unclear if Johnson will be directing either of the two films or if he’ll only be on board in a producing capacity.
Keep Johnson Away From Star Wars
Rian Johnson made his feature directorial debut in 2005 with the neo-noir Brick, which received largely positive reviews and made millions against an indie budget. Johnson would continue to rise to prominence with the time-bending sci-fi thriller Looper, the divisive Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and the acclaimed murder-mystery Knives Out franchise. Johnson also created the fun and critically acclaimed series Poker Face, which continues to put his knack for murder mysteries to good use.
Replicate The Success of Knives Out
While Rian Johnson’s last foray with a major IP divided fans, Disney and LucasFilm still decided to bring him back for a new trilogy of films, though there haven’t been many updates on that front. With Johnson’s new Warner Bros deal, it wouldn’t be surprising if that trilogy continues to get pushed. In the meantime, Johnson has been busy working on the third entry to the Knives Out franchise, which will see Daniel Craig return as the southern detective Benoit Blanc.
Johnson’s Work With Netflix
Plot details of Rian Johnson’s Knives Out 3 are scant outside of Daniel Craig’s returning role, but it will undoubtedly feature a stacked cast of talent like previous entries. Johnson is also an executive producer on the upcoming Netflix adaptation of 3 Body Problem, which debuts tomorrow. It remains to be seen if that series can live up to fan expectations, but early reviews have been good.
The Possibilities Are Endless
While we wait for Rian Johnson’s Knives Out 3 and his eventual Star Wars trilogy, it will be interesting to speculate about his deal with Warner Bros. The easiest assumption would be that Johnson is simply going to make some original films with the company, but fans are also going to get excited about the prospect of Johnson directing a DC film. There are plenty of films on James Gunn’s DCU slate that don’t have a director attached, or Johnson could potentially develop a film for the DC Elseworlds banner that doesn’t have to adhere to the DCU’s continuity.
A Knives Out Inspired Elongated Man Movie?
While the DCU is the most flexible of Warner Bros Discovery’s franchises, there are definitely other directions Rian Johnson could go if he were to do a franchise film. The Monsterverse could be one possible avenue, or Johnson could even try something in the Harry Potter universe. Of course, the best WB franchise for Johnson would obviously be a Scooby-Doo murder mystery, but we all know Warner Bros Discovery is to green light that.
