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."
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."
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