Rian Johnson's Poker Face Just Added A Sitcom Legend To The Cast
Rian Johnson's winning streak continues. After writing and directing such major successes as "Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi," "Knives Out," and the latter's upcoming sequel "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," he's set to return to the small screen with a brand-new drama for Peacock entitled "Poker Face." Since he's the guy who directed "Ozymandias" for "Breaking Bad" (per IMDb), his dramatic television legacy precedes him.
The show, which Variety says is a detective mystery with a dramatic lean which will take on an episodic, case-of-the-week anthology-like format instead of dealing with an overarching story arc, does not have any plot details attached at press time, nor do we even know the name of its lead character. But "Poker Face" has already scored some seriously impressive faces to round out its cast. And this sitcom legend, who's better known for slinging acerbic one-liners instead of bullets, will soon be joining this serious series.
Rhea Perlman has joined the show's cast
Deadline reports that Rhea Perlman will be joining the cast of "Poker Face." The actress, naturally, is best known for her role as the feisty, witty Carla Tortelli-Lebec on the long-lived NBC sitcom "Cheers" and played Mrs. Wormwood in the 1996 adaptation of Roald Dahl's "Matilda," which was directed by and co-starred her husband, Danny DeVito. While the actress is best known for starring in comedies, her IMDb resume is thick with a variety of roles, including a guest starring shot on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Perlman is incredibly busy — Deadline declares that she will also be in the upcoming Margot Robbie-led "Barbie" movie and Netflix's series "You People."
Perlman's just one of many actors who has joined the series as it prepares to enter production. Deadline notes that "Poker Face" will be led by Natasha Lyonne, who will play the show's thus-far-unnamed central detective character, who works a homicide beat and will meet a new set of saints and sinners in every episode. Lyonne will be joined by actors as diverse as Rowan Blanchard, Oscar-winner Adrien Brody, Angel Desai, Audrey Corsa, Benjamin Bratt, Brandon Michael Hall, Charles Melton, Cherry Jones, Chloë Sevigny, Clea DuVall, Colton Ryan, Danielle MacDonald, Dascha Polanco, Ellen Barkin, Hong Chau, Jasmine Aiyana Garvin, Jameela Jamil, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Judith Light, Leslie Silva, Lil Rel Howery, Luis Guzmán, Megan Suri, Niall Cunningham, Nicholas Cirillo, Nick Nolte, Reed Birney, Ron Perlman, S. Epatha Merkerson, Shane Paul McGhie, Simon Helberg, Stephanie Hsu, Tim Blake Nelson, and Tim Meadows. There's no word as to how big an influence any of these actors might have on the series overall, but it's quite the exciting cast.