Rian Johnson returns to TV with murder mystery 'Poker Face' at Peacock with Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Rian Johnson — the acclaimed writer-director of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Knives Out — is returning to the world of television for the first time in almost a decade with a new, Columbo-esque murder mystery series at Peacock entitled Poker Face. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who previously worked with Johnson on Brick, Looper, and Star Wars) has officially boarded the hour-long drama, whose growing cast also includes Russian Doll star Natasha Lyonne.

“Rian Johnson’s distinct sensibility and talent for telling edge-of-your-seat mysteries is a massive gift for Peacock, and we can’t wait for audiences to delve into each case,” Lisa Katz, President, Scripted Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said last month when Peacock handed down a 10-episode order for the show. “Paired with the acting genius of Natasha Lyonne, this series will be entertaining and addictive.”

“I’m very excited to dig into the type of fun, character driven, case-of-the-week mystery goodness I grew up watching," added Johnson, who created the project and will serve as both director and executive producer. "It’s my happy place. Having Natasha as a partner in crime is a dream, and we’ve found the perfect home at Peacock."

While plot details are currently being kept on the down-low, Variety reports that each episode will "follow a procedural form and see Lyonne’s character working to solve different murders." Lyonne is an executive producer under her Animal Pictures banner alongside co-executive producers Maya Rudolph and Danielle Renfrew Behrens. Ram Bergman and Nena Rodrigue are executive producers.

"Rian is a gifted writer and director who draws you in with his unique approach to mystery and we’re so proud to partner with him, and Ram, and to have Natasha Lyonne as our lead, and land this phenomenal show at Peacock with a talented team," concluded Elise Henderson, president of MRC Television (a co-producer of Poker Face with T-Street).

Knives Out, which received heaps of critical and audience praise for its fresh reinvention of the cobwebbed whodunits of yesteryear, will receive two more sequels at Netflix — the first of which is scheduled to premiere later this year. Daniel Craig is confirmed to appear in both star-studded follow-ups as suave Southern detective, Benoit Blanc. Netflix reportedly paid a whopping $450 million for both installments. The cast for the Greece-set Knives Out 2 includes: Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson, Jessica Henwick, and Madelyn Cline.