Bob Odenkirk Is Making Another Action Movie (And With A Really Exciting Director)
Are we officially at the point where we can say that, other than maybe the great Giancarlo Esposito, no other actor is enjoying a better post-"Breaking Bad"/"Better Call Saul" universe career than Bob Odenkirk? Best known for playing the criminal lawyer Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill, Odenkirk could've easily taken his foot off the gas pedal and coasted on the good will (and residual checks!) from starring in two of the best shows of the 21st Century. Instead, the talented actor has made a point to go with the exact opposite approach.
After making time for fantastic supporting turns in Steven Spielberg's "The Post" and Greta Gerwig's "Little Women" followed by his unexpected swerve into action leading man territory in 2021's "Nobody," Odenkirk is now setting his sights on an even more attention-grabbing collaboration. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor will join forces with director Ben Wheatley ("High-Rise," "Free Fire," "Meg 2: The Trench") on a new crime thriller — simply titled "Normal," which makes this feel like the second of an unofficial blue-collar trilogy started by "Nobody" — that will once again star Odenkirk as the unlikeliest of action heroes. Even better, the script is penned by "Nobody" and "John Wick" writer Derek Kolstad. Oh, and did we mention that this is going to be a fascinating blend between a neo-Western and action movie? Or that Odenkirk himself is describing the story to the "early Bourne movies" while teasing an "M. Night Shyamalan-level of suspense and mystery"?? Frankly, the worst part of this news is that we can't see this movie stat.
And all that's without even laying out the early synopsis for this project, which I'm sadly going to make you scroll down to read like the little stinker I am.
Put this in our eyeballs immediately
While perhaps not quite reaching the heights of "John Wick" or other genre classics before it (as accurately pointed out by Chris Evangelista in his review for /Film), "Nobody" still altered our brain chemistry and announced Bob Odenkirk as one of our most versatile performers around. Having already established himself as a comedic force (for a recent reminder, check out his appearance in that hilarious "I Think You Should Leave" skit in season 2), he proved his dramatic chops over and over again throughout both "Breaking Bad" and especially "Better Call Saul" before finally convincing us all of his shoot-em-up prowess in 2021. Now, he'll get the chance to flex those muscles even more on "Normal."
Now, about that plot synopsis I promised you earlier. THR describes Odenkirk's character (named Ulysses) as a "temporary sheriff" in the small town of Normal, a job title they quote Derek Kolstad explaining as, "the substitute teacher of the sheriff world." In full, Ulysses is "...running away from the demons of his past, who 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."
Can I get a "Hell, yeah" from everyone else geeking out over the sheer potential of a story like this? There's no release date or even a distributor attached to the project just yet, but that'll soon change as any studio exec with a pulse ought to be tripping over themselves to buy this script and rake in the cash at the box office. Stay tuned!