Rian Craig Johnson (born December 17, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He is known for writing and directing the neo-noir film Brick (2005), the comedy-drama The Brothers Bloom (2008), the science-fiction thriller Looper (2012), the space opera Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), and the murder-mystery Knives Out (2019), the last of which was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and earned Johnson a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
He also directed three episodes of the television drama series Breaking Bad (2008–2013), for which he received the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Drama Series in 2013.
Early life
Johnson was born on December 17, 1973 in Silver Spring, Maryland. He grew up in Denver, Colorado until sixth grade, when he moved to San Clemente, California. He attended San Clemente High School (graduating in 1992), where Brick was predominantly filmed. He attended the University of Southern California and graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1996. Johnson's first short film, Evil Demon Golfball from Hell!!!, loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart", was included as an easter egg on the Looper Blu-ray.
Career
Johnson's film career was largely inspired by Annie Hall, a film that he said "broke so many rules in terms of film narrative." He stated: "It moved me in a way that very few other films have moved me. That's something that, I pray to God, if I am able to keep making movies, I can only hope, twenty years down the line maybe, I'll be able to approach."His debut film, Brick, is a crime drama made for just under $500,000.
