5 Key Questions About Rian Johnson’s Poker Face

With Looper director Rian Johnson’s new series incoming, we take a look at what we could see in the mystery series Poker Face.

We’ve known for a while now that Rian Johnson is angling toward his first television series. The series is called Poker Face, and it’s been picked up by Peacock’s streaming service for release in the (hopefully) not-too-distant future. As exciting as this is for fans of the Knives Out director, however, Johnson has been notoriously quiet about the project, saying only that he’s “very excited to dig into the type of fun, character-driven, case-of-the-week mystery goodness” he grew up watching.

If anything, this little quip just raises more questions about what exactly the series will be like, and what it will be about. So as we wait for more information, let’s look at some of the key lingering questions we have about the project.

Does it have to do with poker?

Naturally, when you see the title of Johnson’s new project, the first thing that comes to mind is a poker drama. Then again, we need only look to Lady Gaga (and one of the biggest songs of the last 20 years) to know that the phrase “poker face” has meaning away from the tables –– so we can’t be certain. And really, there are no clues! Johnson has no known affinity for poker (that we’re aware of), there’s been no hint of any kind of poker-related source material or consultation, and –– once again –– Johnson’s being tight-lipped about details.

If we had to guess? We’d say this will involve poker in some capacity, whether by taking place in casinos, developing an underground scene, or even revolving around a player. A pop anthem is one thing, but it’s a little difficult to imagine an entire TV show taking on the metaphor without actually having to do with poker.

If so, do viewers have to be savvy?

If this is a show about poker, it will be interesting to see how much it demands of viewers. If Johnson sticks to the most popular form of the game (Texas Hold’em) and avoids super-in-depth table scenes, most viewers will likely be just fine. This version of poker has been extraordinarily prominent for decades now; many have more or less learned how to play Texas Hold’em simply by absorbing the basics: two cards per player, five community cards, some exciting betting rounds, and a reveal. Even for someone who hasn’t played, this much can be gleaned by enjoying films like Rounders or Molly’s Game, or even watching the World Poker Tour on TV for a few minutes. And because so many have picked up Hold’em fundamentals, it could be that the average viewer now understands poker at least well enough to follow along –– just as people who only know the basics of chess were fairly well able to immerse themselves in The Queen’s Gambit.

On the other hand, if Johnson were to throw us a curveball (as he’s wont to do) –– say by focusing on a different variety of poker, or by bumping poker scenes up to expert level –– the show might not be as welcoming to people who aren’t well versed in the art of playing poker. Once again, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Who else will be in the cast?

So far, we know that Russian Doll star Natasha Lyonne is starring in this series, and will be working together with other big names like Joseph Gordon-Levitt (most recently of Super Pumped), Stephanie Hsu (best known for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), and David Castañeda (of The Umbrella Academy). We also learned recently of the casting of Benjamin Bratt (fresh off his role in HBO Max’s DMZ), as well as Adrien Brody (who worked with Johnson on the 2008 film Brothers Bloom).

Whew! That’s quite a cast. But because these announcements have been trickling out –– Bratt and Brody both being revealed just this past April –– it’s hard not to wonder if there could be more! Could we see more stars from recent TV shows joining the ranks, like John C. Reilly off HBO’s Winning Time? Another Rian Johnson alum, like Toni Collette from Knives Out? Or perhaps a known poker enthusiast like Tobey Maguire? Of course, only time will tell. Though there’s one casting wish we can’t help but get greedy about….

What about Daniel Craig?

Again: definitely wishful thinking here. But we know that Johnson enjoys working with Daniel Craig, and already has him slated to return in Knives Out 2 as detective Benoit Blanc. For his part, Craig can be somewhat unpredictable (see: accents in Knives Out and Logan Lucky), and he hasn’t made the jump to TV yet that so many other major Hollywood names have (though he is set to appear in an upcoming show called Purity).

We’re probably grasping at straws, and we wouldn’t bet on him appearing in Poker Face (see what we did there?). But we can hope!

Will there be a second season?

Finally, there’s the big question with any show these days: Will we get more after this? There’s nothing quite like the pain of falling in love with a series and its characters, only to realize you’ve suddenly gotten to the end… and there are no more episodes. And in this age of miniseries, streaming shows, and the like, we’re never quite sure what we’re going to get. It’s quite possible that Poker Face ends up being a one-off, and until we know more, we should probably assume that will be the case.

Then again, we also know that Johnson has legions of fans (cult-like ones, as some critics see it) –– so even without knowing what Poker Face is all about, we can safely anticipate that those fans will at least push for a second season.

There’s nothing to do but wait for our answers, but clearly, we’re a little bit excited to find out more. Until we do, feel free to check out more TV and film content here at Screencritix.