One of many extra thrilling new releases on the 2025 TV schedule is Season 2 of Rian Johnson and Natasha Lyonne’s Poker Face, which simply began streaming its first three episodes on Peacock. The brand new season has some A+ visitor stars, chief amongst them being the Oscar-nominated star of Depraved, Cynthia Erivo. Her episode kicks off the season, which was a sensible transfer for the powers-that-be given her newfound tremendous stardom. Nevertheless, because it seems, Depraved wasn’t even considered when the casting got here collectively. The actual story entails a collection of coincidences that the showrunner merely refers to as “luck.”
Cynthia Erivo performs 5 characters within the episode, and does so masterfully. Such a synopsis is extremely attractive for any Depraved fan, however provided that the present was solid nicely earlier than the field workplace smash and Oscar nominations, Depraved wasn’t even thought of. I sat down with showrunner Tony Tost to speak all issues Poker Face Season 2, which is when this got here up in regards to the timing of the casting and Depraved’s success that adopted:
I believe that was luck. However Rian [Johnson] is a giant fan of Cynthia’s. He is a giant theater man, and so it was very a lot identical to, who’s an actress that will not simply have the ability to do that, however would actually crush it, like in the way in which that I really feel like she does. On this manner that embraces the enjoyable of it, and get the tone of it and the whole lot else… I suppose I did not even give it some thought after we solid it, the Depraved of it, which clearly does not damage in any respect. But it surely very a lot got here from [Rian Johnson’s] immense appreciation of her expertise.
Tony Tost
So it seems that Rian Johnson is solely a giant theater buff, and because of this, an enormous fan of Cynthis Erivo’s. It’s good to listen to that she wasn’t solid primarily based on clout. As a substitute, Johnson believed that she would come to play and perceive the absurd, quirky and really particular tone of the present. The 5 characters she performs are sisters, and watching her swap between them actually does really feel like a masterclass in appearing. As soon as once more, Rian Johnson’s instincts had been on level.
Johnson’s most notable work comes from the Knives Out films, for which he has been nominated for 2 Academy Awards. The solid of these movies additionally occurs to be moderately stacked and various, very similar to Poker Face, and now I simply want that Cynthia Erivo was set to look in the upcoming Wake Up Useless Man. Fortunately, there’s one other movie of Erivo’s on the way in which that we will look ahead to: a little bit flick you’ll have heard of referred to as Depraved: For Good.
It should be a frightening process creating the follow-up to such a profitable first installment, not simply on the field workplace, however when it comes to the movie’s glowing opinions. Jon M. Chu and firm appear to have it coated, nonetheless, as Depraved’s presence on VOD has carried out nothing however gasoline demand for the sequel. Followers have been capable of choose the movie aside and see the foreshadowing particulars which are paving the way in which for Depraved: For Good. Now we simply have to attend patiently till it’s in theaters on November 21.
Within the meantime, you possibly can catch Cynthia Erivo within the first episode of Poker Face Season 2 with a Peacock subscription! As for the whole lot else on the earth of movie and tv, hold it proper right here at CinemaBlend for the newest.