Southern detective Benoit Blanc is back to unravel another whodunnit in Director Rian Johnson’s comedic crime-drama, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
Johnson’s film finds Blanc ensconced on a billionaire’s lavish Greek island estate at a yearly reunion of a distinctly disparate group of characters − all with their own secrets, lies and motivations. When someone turns up dead, everyone is a suspect.
On November 13, after the DGA membership screening in Los Angeles, Johnson discussed the making of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery during a Q&A moderated by Director Phil Lord (22 Jump Street). He also spoke about the film in a conversation moderated by Director Ethan Hawke (Blaze) following the DGA's New York screening on November 20.
During the Los Angeles conversation, Johnson spoke about the importance of blocking and being prepared.
“You don’t want chaos. Coming in with a plan − a very strong-handed plan − is the key. Coming in with a plan gives the notion that you have something that is going to work and this is why. And if it doesn’t, it’s not like, ‘Oh! Let’s blow it all up and walk around wherever you want.’ No, you have to think, ‘Why doesn’t this feel right? Let’s talk about this and why it would feel right.’ The trick is to know the dramatic intent of every scene.”
Johnson’s other directorial credits include the feature films Knives Out, Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, Looper, The Brothers Bloom, Brick and episodes of the television series Terriers and Breaking Bad. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series for his 2012 Breaking Bad episode “Fifty-One.” Johnson has been a DGA member since 2009.
You can listen to Johnson's Q&A by clicking the podcast episode embedded below. You can find more DGA podcast episodes here.