At the Sundance Film Festival, Peter Dinklage is promoting The Shitheads, a drug-fueled road trip comedy directed by Macon Blair. Alongside this, Dinklage is focusing on reviving the crime series Poker Face with director Rian Johnson, aiming for a fresh start with a new lead and setting.
Plans to Revive Poker Face with a New Lead
Peter Dinklage, known for his role in HBO’s Game of Thrones, is actively working with Rian Johnson to bring back Poker Face for a third season. The original show, starring Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, was not renewed by Peacock after two seasons, as revealed in November. Johnson intends to reboot the series with Dinklage stepping in as the crime-solving detective, potentially relocating the story to a new setting.
Network Discussions and Production Updates
Discussions about moving Poker Face to another platform, possibly HBO, have taken place. Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content, acknowledged talks about acquiring the series at the end of last year. The transition of the show from Peacock to a new home has proven complex, but Johnson’s creative vision remains a driving force behind the project.
Dinklage Shares Insight on the Revival Process
Speaking with Deadline, Dinklage revealed ongoing conversations with Johnson about the show’s future.
“What I hear is that it’s just hard to take it from one home to put it in another. It’s the complicated nature of that, I believe. But Rian is a creative genius and whatever he wants to write, I would love to be a part of that,”
he said. Dinklage also humorously suggested renaming the series Roulette Face if needed to reflect the new direction.
Background of Poker Face and Key Cast Changes
Premiering on Peacock in January 2023, Poker Face featured Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a woman with a unique ability to detect lies. On the run from a casino boss, she traveled the United States in her 1969 Plymouth Barracuda, using her gift to solve murders at each stop. Though Lyonne will remain an executive producer, her involvement on screen is uncertain. She told Deadline in December,
“I love Dinklage, I love Rian, and we’ll see what happens. I could pop back up. I really need a few years; if I don’t make a movie before I die, I’ll be very bummed out. So let me just get one feature in the can, and we’ll see.”
Production Team and Industry Context
Johnson’s T-Street Productions and MRC Television produce the series, alongside Lyonne’s Animal Pictures. Executive producers include Rian Johnson, Natasha Lyonne, Ram Bergman, Tony Tost, Nena Rodrigue, Adam Arkin, Nora Zuckerman, Lilla Zuckerman, and Iain MacDonald. Their collaboration reflects a mix of creative talents aiming to steer Poker Face into its next phase despite the challenges of a platform change and lead cast transition.
Potential Impact and Future Prospects
The push to reboot Poker Face with Peter Dinklage highlights the industry’s interest in finding fresh narratives within familiar frameworks. Should the series successfully transition to a new network and introduce Dinklage in the lead role, it could expand Poker Face’s audience and creative scope. This development remains in progress, with fans and industry watchers awaiting confirmation of a new season’s green light and how the reimagined storyline will unfold under Johnson’s direction.
