Rian Johnson's first TV project, Poker Face, has found a home with Peacock.
Deadline revealed that Johnson's upcoming mystery series, which he will write, direct and produce, has been nabbed by NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock, after an intense bidding war. The series received a straight-to-series order of 10 episodes. Russian Doll and Orange is the New Black star Natasha Lyonne will lead the series and serve as an executive producer through her Animal Pictures production company, with the outfit's Maya Rudolph and Danielle Renfrew Behrens co-executive producing. Johnson will produce through his T-Street banner along with Ram Bergman and Nena Rodrigue.
"I’m very excited to dig into the type of fun, character-driven, case-of-the-week mystery goodness I grew up watching. It’s my happy place," Johnson said of the project. "Having Natasha as a partner in crime is a dream, and we’ve found the perfect home at Peacock."
"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," said Lisa Katz, President, Scripted Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. "Paired with the acting genius of Natasha Lyonne, this series will be entertaining and addictive."
The series comes from T-Street and MRC Television, the latter of which is currently working on the fourth season of Ozark for Netflix. The production company has been on a roll lately, landing similar straight-to-series orders with Shining Girls and The Shrink Next Door for Apple TV+ and The Terminal List for Amazon.
"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," MRC Television President Elise Henderson said.
Johnson and Bergman are currently working on the sequel to Knives Out, the whodunit that received a Best Original Screenplay nomination. They're also producing Netflix's The Three-Body Problem with Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss. Johnson, meanwhile, is still working on his Star Wars trilogy after writing and directing The Last Jedi.
Lyonne is currently working on the second season of Russian Doll for Netflix, which she writes, directs and produces in addition to starring in. Coincidentally, Lyonne's Russian Doll co-creator, Leslye Headland, will be working on her own Star Wars project, itself a mystery series.
Plot details for Poker Face are unknown at this time, as is the show's release date on Peacock.
Source: Deadline