Rian Johnson Teases Bold New Sci-Fi Epic Ahead of Knives Out 3
Riding the buzz for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Star Wars: The Last Jedi filmmaker Rian Johnson says his long-gestating original sci-fi is finally taking shape, teasing fresh plans for his next feature in a new Variety interview.
Rian Johnson is juggling two things at once: Knives Out 3 is rolling out now, and he just dropped a pretty tasty tease for his next movie — an original, light sci-fi spin on a 1970s paranoid thriller that he wants to shoot in 2026. Yes, that combo sounds as cool as it reads.
The next movie: 70s paranoia, with a sci-fi nudge
While doing press for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Johnson told Variety he is already deep into the new project — he is writing an original script right now and aiming to film in 2026. The vibe he is chasing should make a certain kind of movie nerd very happy.
'The most exciting thing right now is this idea I have in my head for the next thing I’m gonna make... 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.'
Translation: think jittery, trust-no-one storytelling with a modern, tech-adjacent twist. No title or cast yet — this one is still in the lab.
Where Knives Out 3 is at
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is in limited theaters now and hits Netflix on December 12, 2025. Daniel Craig is back as Benoit Blanc, this time poking around a murder tied to a church. The cast is stacked:
- Josh O'Connor
- Glenn Close
- Josh Brolin
- Mila Kunis
- Jeremy Renner
- Kerry Washington
- Andrew Scott
- Cailee Spaeny
- Daryl McCormack
- Thomas Haden Church
And yes, the Star Wars question
Johnson’s The Last Jedi remains one of the saga’s most argued-about entries, and it still pulled in $1.3 billion worldwide. Lucasfilm once tapped him to write a new Star Wars trilogy; that plan has basically fizzled. But he hasn’t shut the door.
'A part of my brain will always be in Star Wars. It’s so much a part of me and the way I think.'
For the timeline watchers: the sci-fi-tinged thriller is being written now, with a target shoot in 2026; Wake Up Dead Man is in a limited theatrical run and streams on Netflix December 12, 2025. This update came via his Variety interview while he was promoting Knives Out 3, and was first picked up by Dan Girolamo at SuperHeroHype.