There’s no denying that Rian Johnson loves exploring uncharted universes. Between Looper and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Poker Face creator has taken audiences on journeys to the unknown and blown their minds with existential concepts. But, over the last few years, he’s poured his brain power into mysteries, which is no surprise considering his first ever film, Brick, featured a heavy mystery aspect. With the third installment of his Knives Out franchise, Wake Up Dead Man, slated for an arrival in December, Johnson already has his eyes set on the next thing, and it’s a mix of both what you’d expect and what you won’t see coming.

During a recent chat with Empire, the filmmaker opened up about what alley he’s planning to head down next, revealing,

“The most exciting thing right now is this idea I have in my head for the next thing I’m gonna make, and I think ultimately, that’s all you can do, is just kind of follow your nose. 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. That cog will be turning the rest of my life.”

And, for those hoping he might someday return to a galaxy far, far away, Johnson is totally game, as he said, “I love Star Wars. And if some day it makes sense to come back to it, for both of us, it would be the most wonderful thing in the world.”

Rian Johnson’s Love For the Big Screen

Although Wake Up Dead Man is slated for a cinematic arrival ahead of its Netflix debut, Johnson continues to feel drawn to make something exclusively for a theatrical experience. Over the span of three Knives Out films, he says that he’s “very, very happy with the partnership with Netflix,” adding, “being with Netflix has absolutely just put [Knives Out] culturally in a place that I never thought it would get to, which is very, very cool.” On the other hand, his big-screen drive isn’t going anywhere as he explained,

“At the same time, I’ve said that the theatrical experience is very, very important to me. It’s something I really believe in, and I feel like the reports of its death are greatly exaggerated. We see that this year, with movies like Sinners – something genuinely exciting by one of our great new filmmakers, connecting with audiences in a huge way, and in a way where people want to get out to the theatre to see it. That’s really exciting to me.”

Stay tuned for more about Johnson’s next project and see Wake Up Dead Man in cinemas on November 26, followed by its Netflix debut on December 12.

via Collider