All I Want for May the Fourth Is for Rian Johnson to Take Over ‘The Mandalorian’

A loner, traveling from one far-flung dive to another, begrudgingly helping out the helpless along the way while trying to make a buck and keep a low profile. Such is the life of Charlie Cale — what, were you expecting me to namedrop Din Djarin? I can see where you’d be confused, as the protagonists of Peacock’s Poker Face and Disney+’s The Mandalorian have more than a bit in common — although I’d like to see the helmet that could tame Charlie’s signature mane. Conversely, Djarin should spend more time in trucker hats and skinny black jeans…

I’m getting carried away picturing Pedro Pascal in Natasha Lyonne drag — my point is that when I think about what went wrong with The Mandalorian this past season, I can’t help but think about what went right with Poker Face — a show created by Star Wars’ very own Rian Johnson. If you still haven’t watched Poker Face, watch it — especially if you love The Mandalorian.

Before Poker Face came along and gave us modern-day Columbo, The Mandalorian Seasons 1 and 2 gave us Magnum P.I. in space. Then Mando dug its spurs into a sprawling mythology and devoted so much screen time to the ever-shifting particulars of a vague religion. I don’t know what we got from The Mandalorian Season 3, other than Grogu getting his very own assassin Zord and a foul-mouthed Anzellan. Meanwhile, Poker Face gave us a gas station mystery, murder grandmas, an unsettling two-legged horse costume, a new hard rock anthem, an alt-right dog, delicious barbecue, a dramatic reading of the lyrics to Blues Traveler’s “Hook,” the most painful depiction I’ve seen of getting hit by a car, and — similar to The Mandalorian Season 1 — a heartbreaking performance from Nick Nolte.

The clear conclusion? Lucasfilm needs to give The Mandalorian to Rian Johnson.

That’s what I want for May the Fourth, Kathleen Kennedy. I want Rian Johnson to bring all of the off-kilter sincerity and twisty hijinks that he channels into Poker Face and the Knives Out franchise to Star Wars, without all of the baggage of having to create a billion-dollar blockbuster starring characters who may as well be Biblical figures to a huge swath of people.

Regarding that — I love Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It’s my second favorite Star Wars film after Empire Strikes Back. Every interview I’ve seen, heard, or read with Johnson — and I have devoted many hours to them! — has led me to believe that he is an even bigger fan of Star Wars than I am. Anecdotally, I’ve heard nothing but the loveliest of stories about him, including from Decider’s own Nicole Gallucci. The disproportionate level of hate that he got, IMO, comes from people who are willfully ignorant of reality and share a photo of him “trolling fans” that is literally him going out of his way to support fans. That’s all I need to say about all of that. Here’s a GIF of Mark Hamill and Rian Johnson comparing their colorful socks.

Whether or not you like The Last Jedi actually doesn’t matter to this discussion! It’s only relevant here because the fact that Johnson directed it means that he’s already in the Lucasfilm family and would therefore be a great candidate to take over The Mandalorian. Hell, I would rather see Johnson do this Disney+ series than devote a decade of his life to making a trilogy that either is or is not still on Lucasfilm’s to-do list, depending on which corner of the internet you get your nerd news from. The man has murder mysteries to make! If he’s gonna come back to Star Wars, let it be a one-year engagement!

Taking over a season of The Mandalorian would also allow Johnson to do Star Wars on his terms rather than do Star Wars on the franchise’s terms, which kinda describes The Last Jedi. There’s a lot more humor, a lot more irreverence, a lot more narrative innovation, and a lot more flair to Johnson’s non-Last Jedi work, and it’s all seen in Poker Face. The Mandalorian was a flexible show at first, able to move between genres and get weird. There’s room for Johnson to really move on this show, to take big risks, to subvert expectations, to just have fun. And if there’s one thing Mando Season 3 was missing, it was fun. And also good dialogue. And also conflict.

I can daydream all I want, but I will inevitably wake up to the reality: Jon Favreau has already written all of Season 4. Favreau is going nowhere, and that doesn’t bode all that well considering these recent diminishing returns. Still, there is hope. Rian Johnson absolutely should, at the very least, direct an episode of The Mandalorian Season 4. It’s not the same as constructing a whole season, but it is something. I truly believe that the savvy and retro vibe that Johnson cultivated for Poker Face would absolutely give The Mandalorian the shot in the arm that the series needs. And after that’s done, I can start fantasizing about Rian Johnson’s The Mandalorian Season 5.