Rian Johnson

American director and screenwriter

Also known as: Rian Craig Johnson

Written by

Patricia Bauer

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 24, 2026 •History

Rian Johnson (born December 17, 1973, Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.) is an American film director and writer who is known for creating well-crafted, tightly plotted thrillers that subvert expectations. Johnson first broke through with the low-budget neo-noir Brick (2005) and later transitioned to blockbuster studio fare, most notably Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi (2017) and the Knives Out series (2019– ).

Early life and education

Johnson’s family moved from Maryland to the Denver, Colorado, area when he was a toddler. They moved again when he was about 11 years old to San Clemente, California, where he acquired a Super-8 camera and began making short movies with his friends. After his 1992 high-school graduation, Johnson attended the University of Southern California, eventually gaining admission to the university’s School of Cinema-Television (now School of Cinematic Arts), from which he earned a degree in 1996. While there he created the short comedy-horror movie Evil Demon Golf Ball from Hell!!! (1997).

Independent auteur

Johnson spent the next few years making instructional videos and promotions for children’s TV shows, and he edited the well-received horror film May (2002). In the meantime he gathered financing to make his first feature film. That movie, Brick (2005), which he wrote, directed, and edited, was a modern homage to film noir that was set in a Southern California high school. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a student investigating the death of his former girlfriend, it won generally positive reviews. Johnson next wrote and directed The Brothers Bloom (2008), a more mainstream caper movie and romantic comedy that starred Mark Ruffalo, Adrien Brody, and Rachel Weisz.

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After that, Johnson directed a live-album performance movie for the indie rock band the Mountain Goats (2010). He also helmed three episodes of the acclaimed TV series Breaking Bad (2010, 2012, and 2013), the last of which (“Ozymandias”) received particularly high praise.

In-demand studio director

Johnson’s third movie was the sci-fi thriller Looper (2012). The futuristic drama featured Gordon-Levitt as a hit man for a criminal organization that exploits time travel to commit murder undiscovered, and it earned critical plaudits and a large popular audience.

Johnson was then tapped to write and direct the second installment of the third Star Wars trilogy. His take on the iconic franchise in Star Wars: Episode VIII—The Last Jedi (2017) won over many critics and audience members and was a box-office success. However, a vocal contingent of Star Wars fans criticized Johnson’s film for, among other things, deviating from the tone and characterizations established by previous entries in the series.

Johnson’s next movie, however, was an unalloyed triumph. Knives Out (2019), a classic murder mystery leavened with sly social commentary, featured Daniel Craig as the detective Benoit Blanc and an all-star supporting cast that included Christopher Plummer, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Ana de Armas. In addition to critical praise, the film earned Johnson an Academy Award nomination for best original screenplay. Johnson also had a hit with the sequel Glass Onion (2022), which garnered him an Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay. A third release in the series, Wake Up Dead Man, premiered in 2025.