Key Takeaways

• Film Premiere: Normal recently debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival.
• Action Hero: Bob Odenkirk’s background in sketch comedy enhances his action scenes.
• Franchise Potential: Normal could lead to a new franchise, similar to John Wick.
• Character Evolution: The success of sequels hinges on the character’s growth throughout the story.

Less than a month after starring in Nobody 2, Bob Odenkirk is back in action for Normal. The crime thriller recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (you can check out our review tomorrow). By the sound of things, it’s another great action project for Odenkirk. The film is scripted by Derek Kolstad, the man behind the John Wick and Nobody franchises, and he spoke with Deadline about why Odenkirk makes such a great action hero.

“Bob says it best, and it’s that he came for the world of sketch comedy where the sketches are between two and a half to six minutes. And he said that’s what a fight is. And he’s right,” Kolstad said. “A good fight scene is around that time and he’s like, it begins this dance. Both he and Keanu especially, they loved to say…pain is the wrong word, but they both put their bodies through the ringer. They’ll both be the first to say, I can’t really fight, but I can film fight. And they just get excited about it.“

Kolstad continued, “The stunt crews love Bob and Keanu. They work hard, they love the craft, and they become friends with the crew. And when the crew wants to switch something up or Bob’s got an idea to make the scene a little funnier, or Keanu’s got an idea that is more of a character moment, it just becomes this perfectly oiled machine.“

As with John Wick and Nobody, Normal has the potential to begin another franchise. “The weight you put on yourself is to make sure that the first one works,” Kolstad said. “Then, if there’s only one, you’re happy, and if the studio or the investors come back and say, let’s do another, you have to make sure it’s about we got to make sure that it’s the character’s evolution. You can trust me with the action and the world building and cool bad guys and all that kind of stuff. But if your character doesn’t change, it’s the end of the franchise, right?“

Bob Odenkirk playing Ulysses in Normal, a lawman “who is thrust into the temporary role of the sheriff for the small sleepy town Normal after the previous one’s untimely death. When the town’s bank is robbed by an out-of-town couple, Ulysses arrives on the scene to find that the town is hiding much more sinister deep-seated secrets under its surface and everyone – from the bartender to the priest – is in on it. And now Ulysses, who’s up-till-now focused only on running away from the demons of his past, must uncover the full extent of this criminal conspiracy.” The film doesn’t have an official release date yet, but hopefully we’ll hear something soon.