Matt Johnson has had a pretty remarkable rise over the last few years. Long a cult Canadian filmmaker thanks to the microbudget “The Dirties,” “Operation Avalanche,” and especially “Nirvanna the Band the Show,” Johnson broke through to a much larger audience with 2023’s acclaimed “BlackBerry.” Now Hollywood has clearly taken notice: he has the Anthony Bourdain film “Tony” on the way, a massive “Magic: The Gathering” adaptation in the works, and, apparently, a previously unreported comedy project he developed with “Marty Supereme” filmmaker Josh Safdie.
Speaking to Vulture for a wide-ranging profile pegged to “Tony,” Johnson discussed his move from scrappy Canadian productions into much bigger Hollywood projects. Along the way, the profile also drops two intriguing pieces of future-project news: Johnson had been developing a TSA comedy that brought Safdie into the fold, and his already-announced “Magic: The Gathering” adaptation may be considerably bigger than previously understood.
That apparently included a collaboration with Safdie that hasn’t previously been reported. According to Vulture, Johnson had been developing an untitled project described only as a TSA comedy, and Safdie began flying the filmmaker to New York to work on it following the success of “BlackBerry.” No plot, cast, studio, or other details are given, nor is it clear whether the project remains active.
Still, it’s an intriguing pairing. Johnson has spent the last few years bouncing between the DIY sensibility that made his name and much larger opportunities. He returned to his cult roots with “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie,” which debuted at SXSW in 2025, while “Tony,” starring Dominic Sessa as a young Anthony Bourdain, represents another significant step into the American film industry.
Then there’s “Magic: The Gathering,” by far Johnson’s biggest swing yet. Legendary Entertainment and Hasbro Entertainment announced in 2025 that they were developing a live-action film and television universe based on the enormously popular fantasy trading-card game, with a feature film intended to launch the franchise. Johnson subsequently emerged as the filmmaker attached to direct the first movie.
Created by Richard Garfield and first released by Wizards of the Coast in 1993, “Magic: The Gathering” casts players as powerful spellcasters battling with decks of creatures, spells, artifacts, and other abilities. Over more than three decades, the game has expanded into a huge fantasy mythology spanning numerous worlds and characters, giving Legendary plenty of material if it wants to build an ongoing screen franchise.
Johnson’s connection to the material runs much deeper than a filmmaker taking on a major piece of IP. Speaking on “The Big Picture” earlier this year, he said the game “taught me to read” and recalled that his childhood ambition was to become a professional Magic player. After a disappointing run at the 2006 Pro Tour in Detroit, he said he decided to take filmmaking seriously instead.
“For years, I’ve said I would trade my entire career to be a professional Magic card player,” Johnson said. “Now I’m making the Magic card movie.” He called the opportunity “my Star Wars,” describing the chance to return to a world he knows and loves so well as “surreal.”
He sounded just as enthusiastic in a March interview with Game Informer, confirming that he is writing and directing the film but otherwise keeping details close to the vest. “It’s badass,” Johnson said. “It’s, like, the best project I’ve ever been a part of in my life.”
If those ambitions hold, “Magic: The Gathering” would mark an enormous jump in scale for Johnson, but perhaps not as unlikely a fit as it first appeared. The filmmaker has spent years making intensely personal work out of his own obsessions, and this time one of those obsessions happens to come with decades of mythology, a huge global fanbase, and potentially three movies to play with.
Meanwhile, early reviews for “Tony” are out today and have been seemingly enthusiastic overall, suggesting Johnson’s first full-on Hollywood swing has paid off. If “BlackBerry” opened the door, “Tony” feels like the confirmation that his Hollywood evolution is complete—even as “Magic: The Gathering” suggests he’s really just getting started.
