Rian Johnson’s next stab at the mystery genre, Poker Face, has its first trailer. The series, starring Natasha Lyonne, is described as a ‘mystery-of-the-week’ and is premiering on Peacock on January 26th.
The trailer shows Lyonne, most known for her starring role in Netflix’s dark comedy Russian Doll, as she goes from town to town, encountering strange crimes as she goes. She has a knack for determining when someone is lying and uses this ability to solve mysteries. Poker Face seems to have a lighter comedic style compared to Russian Doll. The trailer has a distinctly retro feel, and Lyonne seems to be revelling in this period setting.
Johnson is taking his love for the mystery genre to TV. This new format provides exciting new possibilities for Johnson, who has already shown his penchant for weaving non-chronological stories. The ‘mystery-of-the-week’ allows Johnson to fully realise his love for Agatha Christie-style serialised adventures, and will give him the opportunity to further elevate his developing mastery of the genre. The fact that the premier consists of the first four episodes, suggests a properly serialised format.
Lyonne is not alone on her travels. Along the way, Vulture reports, she is joined by a cohort of famous faces, all leaning into the 70s feel of Poker Face’s trailer. Lyonne is joined by the likes of Ron Pearlman, Adrien Brody, Chloë Sevigny, Tim Meadows and long-time Johnson favourite, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. This is an exciting list, filled with actors known for their diverse characters. It is a good sign that these actors are known for their collaborations with directors such as Guillermo del Toro, Wes Anderson, and the Cohen Brothers. These directors are known for their offbeat visual and story-telling styles, which might signify Johnson looking to embrace a more adventurous tone compared to Knives Out and Glass Onion.
Poker Face’s trailer seems to promise a confident departure from what we have seen from Johnson thus far. Although still infused with Johnson’s brand of snarky and silly comedy, Poker Face’s trailer looks like a more visceral set of adventures, with the level of action seemingly ramped up from Benoit Blanc’s (Daniel Craig) two mysteries.
Glass Onion recently became Netflix’s third most-watched film ever, so the premiere of another Rian Johnson mystery so soon after, suggests a promising new project for Peacock.
Words by James Evenden
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.