Rian Johnson

Rian Johnson (also credited as Rian Craig Johnson) is an American director and writer born December 17, 1973, in Silver Spring, Maryland. He broke out with the sharply stylized neo-noir mystery Brick (2005), a low-budget debut that drew strong reviews and proved his knack for smart, twisty storytelling.

He expanded to bigger canvases with the sci-fi thriller Looper (2012), earning mainstream attention for combining high-concept ideas with character-driven drama. Johnson later took on one of modern cinema’s most visible franchises, writing and directing Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), a global box-office hit that pushed the saga in bold directions.

Returning to whodunits, he revitalized the genre with Knives Out (2019) and follow-up Glass Onion (2022), both recognized by the Academy Awards for his screenwriting. On television, he directed standout Breaking Bad episodes including “Fly,” “Fifty-One,” and the celebrated “Ozymandias,” and later created the mystery series Poker Face for Peacock with Natasha Lyonne.

In 2023, Time named Johnson among the world’s 100 most influential people, underscoring his impact across film and TV.