Rian Johnson has finally opened up about the unexpected direction he hopes to take Poker Face in its potential Season 3, and he is embracing just how unconventional the idea really is. After Natasha Lyonne’s exit and Peacock’s decision not to renew the original version for a third season, Johnson confirmed he is exploring a bold new iteration of the hit mystery series with Peter Dinklage.
Rian Johnson accepts Poker Face Season 3 idea with Peter Dinklage is ‘a wild swing’
As Johnson works to shop a refreshed version of Poker Face, he acknowledges that the concept behind the proposed Season 3 is nothing short of daring. The filmmaker addressed the rumblings during the premiere of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, where he shared his enthusiasm about teaming up with Dinklage for a reinvented take on the series.
Speaking to Deadline, Johnson said he “would be so excited” to craft a new version of the show with the Game of Thrones star stepping into the role of Charlie Cale. “Look, it’s very early days. We are going to see if we can take it out and get it going,” Johnson said. “But I love Peter. I have always wanted to work with him. And I would be so excited if we can get this version of it up and going. It is a wild swing, and I just feel like it could be so much fun, going forward with the show.”
Johnson and Lyonne later released a joint statement noting that they have “been germinating this next move together since writing the season two finale,” calling the pivot “the perfect way to keep it rolling.”
For Johnson, the long-term vision of Poker Face has always included rotating actors in the lead role every few seasons. Charlie, a former casino employee and human lie detector who is forced to go on the run after witnessing a crime by a casino boss, allows the series to evolve naturally. As she travels the country in her 1969 Plymouth Barracuda, Charlie solves murders wherever she lands, turning her gift into a survival tool.
With Peter Dinklage now part of the conversation, Poker Face Season 3 may become one of Johnson’s boldest creative experiments yet.
