Interview: Rian Johnson on How Faith and Humanity Make Peace Within His Latest Mystery 'Wake Up Dead Man'

No one is having as much fun making films as Rian Johnson. Over the course of the last twenty years, Johnson has delivered some of the most original, bold, entertaining films, dazzling audiences with noir mysteries, a sci-fi action thriller, and a journey to a galaxy far far away. But in his latest three pictures, Johnson has crafted his own IP, creating a new cinematic detective series with the help of one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, Daniel Craig. The director, alongside his famed actor and a crew of regular collaborators over the course of his career, delivered the smash hits Knives Out in 2019 and Glass Onion in 2022, whodunit mysteries following the cases of Detective Benoit Blanc. Known for the hilarious tone, massive ensemble casts, and immaculate third act resolutions, the first two entries of the franchise were widely acclaimed by audiences and critics, leading to Johnson landing two Oscar nominations for his screenplays.

With the third entry in the Knives Out franchise, the director (in his own words) takes us “back to church” with a mystery centered around Reverend Jud Duplenticy (Josh O'Connor), a new priest who is framed for the murder of an another priest from a small parish in upstate New York. In trying to clear his name, Blanc hears of the case and is willing to assist Father Jud in clearing his name and getting the heart of who committed this horrible crime. In my review out of the Toronto International Film Festival, I raved about the film, calling it “the best entry in the Knives Out franchise to date” and also stating “Johnson and company pull out all the stops to create a dark, tense, comical, sharply-written mystery that sticks the landing.” It’s an entry that is not only darker, but seems more personal than ever for Johnson, as Wake Up Dead Man dabbles in ideas of faith, wickedness, revenge, spitefulness, how dangerous our world is, and how we need forgiveness more than ever if we are to heel as a species.

In my recent, extensive, spoiler-filled discussion with the writer-director, we spoke about Johnson’s approach to this entry, when he knew he was going to enter the world of the gothic mystery, and working with Craig on their third film together. We also spoke about collaborating with the new cast, the social, political, religious themes found at the center of the film, as well as his film and literary inspirations for Wake Up Dead Man, as well his thoughts on modern cinema, the importance of celebrating cinema, and if he could get a director to confess their secrets to him, who would he select and why. It’s a more serious conversation than the last time Johnson and I spoke when Glass Onion was coming out, but that’s a prime example of not just the tonal versatility found within the Knives Out, but also within the person its creator. Insightful, lively, introspectively honest, Rian Johnson is a real original and there aren’t many left in Hollywood who are like him.

Music: A Minor Omission, Nathan Johnson