Rian Johnson
Rian Craig Johnson (born December 17, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He made his directorial debut with the neo-noir mystery film Brick (2005), which received positive reviews and grossed nearly $4 million on a $450,000 budget. Transitioning to higher-profile films, Johnson achieved mainstream recognition for writing and directing the science-fiction thriller Looper (2012) to critical and commercial success. Johnson landed his largest project when he wrote and directed the space opera Star Wars
Defining films
In their own words
For the Porgs, I was looking at things like 'My Neighbor Totoro,' where you have these cute creatures, but they're not just cute; they're also very much part of the world.
I knew I wanted to do something that felt like a movie that could exist in the world of anime, the tone and the action and the character stuff. When I was starting out, I watched a lot of anime, particularly Otomo's 'Akira' and 'Memories.'
I was looking at things like 'My Neighbor Totoro,' where you have these cute creatures, but they're not just cute; they're also very much part of the world.