Rian Johnson wants to cast Meryl Streep in next ‘Knives Out’

Rian Johnson has revealed there’s one seasoned actress he would love to work with in his Knives Out universe.

The Academy Award nominee told IndieWire, “There are so many great actors I’d like to work with, but, yes, if you’re reading this, Meryl Streep, I feel like you’d slot into a murder mystery very well.”

When informed that the actress recently appeared on the 50th season of Saturday Night Live, Johnson added, “If Lorne [Michaels] can do it, then, goddamn, so can we.”

The Out Of Africa actress has already made her mark in another comedic murder mystery, with her appearance in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, which wrapped its fifth season last month.

She is also set to reprise her iconic role as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada sequel, due to be released in 2026.

Johnson also shared his enthusiasm for creating the Knives Out films which began with the 2019 hit starring Daniel Craig and Ana de Armas.

“I love working with actors so much, there are so many actors I haven’t worked with I want to work with. And that’s one of the real treats of making these movies is you get to experience new actors and these big casts,” he said.

The director added, “At the same time, I’d be lying if I didn’t say: one of the great things about doing these movies is I get to know these actors so, when I’m writing original stuff now, that are not these movies, of course I have everyone in mind for it.”

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the third installment in Rian Johnson's mystery franchise, features Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) investigating the murder of a domineering monsignor (Josh Brolin) in upstate New York.