Normal Director Wants It To Launch a Bob Odenkirk Franchise
Bob Odenkirk in Normal
Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
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Normal features many of the same players from Bob Odenkirk’s Nobody films, but director Ben Wheatley never worried about any potential overlap from the similarly titled actioners.
The British filmmaker knew his unique sensibilities would shake up Odenkirk’s Nobody brain trust that includes producing partner Marc Provissiero and screenwriter Derek Kolstad, as well as second unit director Greg Rementer and several stunties. The only concern on the Nobody front was making sure that they didn’t shoot at any of the same locations in Winnipeg, the capital city of Manitoba, Canada. (The pic is also reminiscent of Odenkirk’s tenure on Fargo season one.)
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Normal chronicles Odenkirk’s roving sheriff named Ulysses upon his arrival in Normal, Minnesota, where he intends to serve on an interim basis until a new officer is elected. Ulysses grapples with his own personal demons when he begins to notice some irregularities in the seemingly idyllic small town. He then makes an unexpected discovery during a bungled bank robbery, and he’s forced to square off against the entire town.
His one ally is a young character named Alex (Jess McLeod), the child of the deceased sheriff Ulysses replaced. He recognizes that the townsfolk reject Alex, and so he extends a bit of compassion in a critical moment. It’s then subtly revealed that Alex is trans/nonbinary, hence the town’s cold shoulder, and it’s an admirable choice for the Normal team to make at a time when studios are cutting or canceling anything that might ruffle the feathers of the current U.S. administration.
Wheatley and co. wanted to portray the progressive character in an organic way without fanfare, and the film at no point feels like it’s patting itself on the back. He also says that the indie feature never received any pushback from financiers.
“The policy of normalizing it — no pun intended — and treating it in a human way rather than making it an issue was really important,” Wheatley tells The Hollywood Reporter. “So it’s there, but it’s not a big deal. I think that’s the way to confront these things or to represent them.”
As for the future of Odenkirk’s Sheriff Ulysses, Normal brass have already indicated a desire to continue his story if the demand is there.
“We’ve been talking about it. I can see that there’s a continuing story for him, but you don’t want to jinx it too much by going on about it,” Wheatley says. “It’s just about making sure that another story doesn’t feel like it’s exactly the same circumstances. So I could see it having legs.”
Below, during a recent conversation with THR, Wheatley also discusses working with Odenkirk the writer, particularly his fondness for last-minute rewrites.
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Most of your dozen films have been in the independent world, but you have made a couple studio or studio-adjacent films in the last handful of years. Is the indie space where you’d rather be? Or do you not care as long as you’re on a set?
Yeah, that’s the point. I just like working. I always wanted to do a big studio thing [Meg 2], and I now have had that opportunity, which was pretty amazing. But indie films are great as well. It’s about whatever can be developed and get to set. When you’re standing there with a bacon roll in your hand and getting ready to shoot, that’s what it’s all about.
Ben Wheatley on the set of Normal
Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
It sounds like your agent took the initiative and reached out to Bob Odenkirk and co. before the Normal director search even started. That’s quality representation if you ask me. How common is that approach?
I don’t know. I don’t really know the ins and outs of what the agents get up to. It’s always a nefarious and secret world, and they like to keep it that way. My agent, Phil d’Amecourt, I’ve had him for 13 years. He was the first guy who was interested in what I was doing, and I’ve been with him ever since. So it’s served me very, very well.
Bob, his producing partner Marc Provissierro and screenwriter Derek Kolstad collaborated on a couple Nobody films. And while there is some overlap within second unit and the stunt department, did everybody create a whole new action playbook?
I think that