Wake Up Dead Man director Rian Johnson says he "couldn't resist" making a pointed Star Wars joke in the new Knives Out movie

Now that Wake Up Dead Man is available to watch on streaming, director Rian Johnson has finally addressed that Star Wars joke in the film, saying it's "very apropos today". Johnson, who directed the divisive The Last Jedi back in 2017 before launching the Knives Out saga, simply "couldn't resist" including the line.

The joke itself comes when one of the suspects, Cy Draven (played by Daryl McCormack), is talking about joining his father in building a powerful business empire. He then, in a completely serious way, compares himself to the Rebellion in Star Wars, to Father Jud's (Josh O'Connor) obvious surprise. The moment makes fun of certain conservative-minded people who see themselves as part of the Rebellion, when their views might be more aligned with the evil Empire.

"I couldn’t resist," the filmmaker told Polygon. "The ultimate joke of that moment, that everyone thinks they're the Rebels, I think is very apropos today."

The joke fits right in within the Knives Out movies, which have always made fun of contemporary life, ideologies, and politics. "You just have to be instinctual about it. On the one hand, I like that these movies are unapologetically set in the present moment. That's a feature and not a bug. On the other hand, you don't want to get annoying about it, so it's a little bit of just trusting your ear," Johnson explained in the interview.

Drawing further comparisons between Knives Out 3 and the Star Wars franchise, the director said: "Anyone who grew up with Star Wars deeply rooted in their childhood –it’s almost a cliché to say it feels like a religion. That can be used to cut both ways. But for me, there is something very fundamental about it. It's a fundamental myth that we grew up with, from childhood. I grew up very Christian, so when I was a kid, I was parsing Star Wars through my faith and through my Christianity. It's all tied up in that. Very naturally, if I'm telling that story, it's going to be filtered through the values I grew up with."

Now on Netflix, Wake Up Dead Man follows Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) as he gets involved in a particularly mysterious crime that takes place at a Catholic church in upstate New York. The cast also includes Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, and Cailee Spaeny.

For more, read our Wake Up Dead Man review, and fill out your watchlist with our guide to the best Netflix movies, or see our guide to everything new on Netflix in November 2025.