It was recently revealed thatNobodystar Bob Odenkirk will reunite with writer Derek Kolstadfor a new action movie,Normal, and the pair have now offered more details on their latest tale of an unlikely action hero. Speaking withTHR, Odenkirk describedNormal, which finds the Emmy nominee leading as an unlikely sheriff in a deeply corrupt town, as a unique action idea, comparing it to both theBournemovies and “an M. Night Shyamalan-kind" of mystery.
“When they presented the idea [for Normal] to me, it just had this quality to it I don’t think I’ve seen in an action movie in forever. I’m going to call it suspense mystery. You could argue that the Bourne films, especially the early ones, have that element, where he’s trying to explore and solve a mystery, the mystery of his own past. There’s that sort of dimension in this story, something that Derek expanded on, which I think was the reason Ben Wheatley came on board.”
The synopsis forNormalbears some similarities to the duo’s 2021 action hit,Nobody. Odenkirk stars as another unexpected man of action, a temporary sheriff described as “the substitute teacher of the sheriff world” who is “running away from the demons of his past,” and “has taken over in the sleepy town of Normal after the untimely death of the town’s original lawman. But when the town’s bank is robbed by outsiders, Ulysses uncovers a deep criminal conspiracy at the heart of Normal and realizes that everyone in town, from the bartender to the priest, is in on it.”
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According to Odenkirk, there is stilla lot of mystery left to unfurlinNormal, with the movie promising to offer audiences a puzzle that’s difficult to solve.
“That’s because the synopsis is so brief, and obviously we don’t want to give anything away. But the first thing I said [to Derek] was, this has an M. Night Shyamalan-kind of level of suspense and mystery. There’s a sustained sequence of figuring out what really is going on, including some major red herrings.”
Writer Derek Kolstad, meanwhile, declares thatNormalis different to the likes ofJohn WickandNobody, comparing the action outing tothe likes of Alfred Hitchcock.
“What I would say is Normal has everything you might be familiar with from Nobody or the John Wick films because that’s what I am — I f—ing love those kinds of movies. But if I were to describe Normal, I’d say it was a love letter to Hitchcock and the British crime thrillers I grew up with as a kid, it has the more grounded elements of films from the 1970s.
Bob plays Ulysses, an interim sheriff, which I always describe as the substitute teacher of the sheriff’s department. When the real sheriff suddenly dies, he’s brought in take over for a few weeks. Now a lot of small towns like this in the rust belt are mostly empty, storefronts on Main Street are boarded up. But this one is doing quite well. There’s something a little bit off. We see hints and nudges and suggestions throughout that nothing is as it seems. Then, when there’s a bank robbery, all the town’s nasty little secrets spill out and Bob finds himself looking down the barrel.”
Directed by Ben Wheatley (Meg 2: The Trench, Free Fire, Kill List), written by Derek Kolstad, and starring Bob Odenkirk,Normalis due to launch sales at Berlin’s European Film Market.
A docile family man slowly reveals his true character after his house gets burgled by two petty thieves, which, coincidentally, leads him into a bloody war with a Russian crime boss. Starring Bob Odenkirk and Christopher Lloyd.
