# 'Wake Up Dead Man' Director Rian Johnson

An episode of [IndieWire's Filmmaker Toolkit](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1142632832), 12 Dec 2025, 41 min.

Audio: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PMC8834906484.mp3

The writer and director behind the beloved Knives Out mysteries returns to the Filmmaker Toolkit to break down his most personal one yet. Johnson discusses why the central themes of religion proved much harder to work out on the page than the mechanics of the mystery. Listen to the Screen Talk Podcast. Every Friday IndieWire editors Anne Thompson & Ryan Lattanzio break down insider news from Hollywood and debate the latest films and series. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/indiewire-screen-talk/id893977298 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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