Rian Johnson is making his way back to television with the Peacock series Poker Face. The murder mystery bolsters quite the cast, including the recently announced S. Epatha Merkerson and Judith Light. On Aug 15, Variety reported a flurry of new talent joining the ensemble, such as Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy), Nick Nolte (Graves), Charles Melton (Riverdale), and Tim Blake Nelson (Watchmen). They will join an already established cast, including Adrien Brody, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jameela Jamil, Tim Meadows, and Natasha Lyonne.
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Poker Face will feature Lyonne as the series lead, acting as a detective investigating different cases each week in an anthology-style format. Variety reports the series will focus on various investigations every episode with a procedural format to the show. Poker Face should be the perfect show for Johnson to write and direct, as he’s succeeded in the mystery genre with his 2019 hit Knives Out. The feature film follows Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) as he investigates the death of a family patriarch. The movie received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
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Johnson has previously seen success in the TV space, although his experience is limited. The director is behind one of the most critically acclaimed and well-received television episodes, with Ozymandias in the final season of Breaking Bad. Johnson has also worked with Gordon-Levitt in television on their collaboration HitRECord on TV. The series is currently ordered for ten episodes straight to Peacock.
Related: Rian Johnson Shares First Footage of Knives Out 2, Teases More to Come
Rian Johnson Says Poker Face Wouldn’t Work Without Natasha Lyonne
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Rian Johnson has high praise for Poker Face star Natasha Lyonne. The director would even go so far as to say the series wouldn’t be possible without the actor’s performance. In a Variety cover story featuring Lyonne, Johnson shared his thoughts and admiration toward the leading actress.
“Poker Face is a case-of-the-week mystery series, anchored entirely by Natasha as the ‘detective’. The show was created around her, and the whole thing is tailored to Natasha like a bespoke suit. It could only exist with her charisma and presence at the center of it… She’s got a very Fellini-type sensibility, where the funny and absurd is a way into the dark and personal. It’s inspiring to me, seeing how unafraid she is to push further and further in that direction.”
The upcoming series will undoubtedly be a big show for Peacock with the star-studded cast and Johnson’s experience with mysteries. However, if Lyonne’s performance is as good as it’s made out to be, Poker Face may be must-see TV.
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