Rian Johnson and Team on “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” and the Evolution of Whodunnits
Rian Johnson discusses Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, revealing story details, Benoit Blanc’s next case, and the evolution of the franchise.
Rian Johnson Talks “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”
After the phenomenal success of Knives Out, it was only a matter of time when writer/director Rian Johnson (Looper, Brick) considered a follow up to the cinematic niche he’s carved out for himself. “The starting point was going back to the source and thinking about Agatha Christie and what she did with the whodunnit genre,” […]
The Rarity of Rug-Pulls in the Modern Era of Entertainment
Pulling the rug out from under an audience is tricky work these days. We’ve all seen so many hours of entertainment, even the casual viewer has become well-versed in narrative structure, the tropes of Hollywood storytelling, and genre clichés. For a screenwriter, trying to write a screenplay that will surprise an often jaded audience becomes […]
From Sherlock Holmes to Benoit Blanc: The Appeal of the Outsider Detective
Sherlock Holmes is the world’s most beloved fictional detective, a literary character that has enthralled millions across the globe since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created him in 1887. Since then, many writers of the page and screen have created their own ridiculously intelligent and eccentric sleuths to solve their fictional mysteries as well. One of […]
Rian Johnson Hilariously Riffs on Agatha Christie with “Knives Out”
Agatha Christie’s estate in England has made a concerted effort over the past few years to revitalize the late, great author’s works, particularly in adaptations for the big and small screen. Kenneth Branagh and John Malkovich both rebooted Hercule Poirot in various vehicles, and the BBC produced two critically-acclaimed TV movies with And Then There […]
