Rian Johnson has been doing well in the murder-mystery genre, as Glass Onion continues to have the internet finding new clues, like a major hint to its biggest twist. The online chatter had kept the mystery comedy in Netflix’s Top 10. While the sequel maintains a tremendous presence, Johnson has moved on to his next mystery-themed project with the upcoming Peacock series Poker Face. Even though the projects are vastly different, there is a connection between these two that viewers might not get at first outside of Johnson himself. The Knives Out director pointed out the bonkers way the upcoming series is connected to Benoit Blanc’s Glass Onion story.
The Oscar-nominated director spilled about the Poker Face/Glass Onion connection to Variety while promoting the new show. It all had to do with beloved actress Natasha Lyonne, who leads Poker Face. Johnson pointed out the pivotal scene in Glass Onion where a sulking Benoit Blanc was playing a game with his celebrity friends in his bathtub, and mentioned how Lyonne’s cameo tied the two properties together:
You ready for a real kind of reality twist? So in the cameo in Glass Onion, she’s playing herself — but she’s in hair and makeup as Charlie in her trailer in between setups on the set on the set of Poker Face. So in the world of Glass Onion, Poker Face is a show that his friend Natasha is shooting. It’s a twisted web that we weave.
That’s a nice little nugget for fans to know as they watch the series. Given Lyonne was playing herself, it’s only right that Johnson introduces the Glass Onion viewers to Poker Face in a unique way. Having that small nod may have helped boost the Peacock series before it makes its streaming debut. The cameo proved just how famous and renowned the cunning sleuth is in the real world.
Natasha Lyonne went on to explain that “Benoit Blanc needs friends, too.” The Russian Doll star cheekily referred to herself as a “Hunter S. Thompson figure” within his world. She went on to admit it was “a relief” that Johnson created the unlikely friendship.
The Poker Face cameo wasn’t the only highlight of the star-studded Glass Onion scene. It served as a final farewell for fans of Angela Lansbury and Stephen Sondheim after the Hollywood icons passed away in 2022 and 2021, respectively. The scene gave viewers a peek into Benoit Blanc’s vulnerable side that wasn't seen in Knives Out. Maybe Natasha Lyonne will pop up again, as a third Benoit Blance film is in the works, with a potential key change moving forward.
Rian Johnson and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery are currently riding high off an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. You can catch the murder-mystery hit through an active Netflix subscription. But you won’t have too much longer for Johnson’s murder mystery follow-up, as Poker Face will premiere on January 26 to Peacock subscribers.
