If Bob Odenkirk's Nobody Movies Are John Wick Homages, His Next R-Rated Action Movie Is A Western Genre Throwback

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Bob Odenkirk's Sheriff Ulysses holding a walkie talkie looking worried in Normal

Published Mar 18, 2026, 10:56 AM EDT

Bob Odenkirk is already back in the world of action with Normal, though it's even further from being a John Wick clone.

Penned by John Wick and Nobody creator Derek Kolstad, the action film centers on Ulysses, a man brought to the titular Minnesota town in order to take over the position of sheriff after the previous one passes away. As he adjusts to a quieter life in town, everything heats up when a botched bank robbery inadvertently exposes a dark secret that threatens to upend the entire town.

In honor of its festival premiere, ScreenRant's Ash Crossan interviewed Derek Kolstad in our SXSW media suite to discuss Normal. When asked about the frequent early comparisons between the R-rated action movie and their previous work on the Nobody movies, the writer/producer began by explaining that Hutch in the latter franchise "wants violence" and "needs to be fed by it," describing it as a form of "an addiction" for the protagonist.

With Ulysses, on the other hand, Kolstad describes him as being more "like an old school Western" hero, in which violence is "going to be the last thing he's going to do" in order to resolve a situation, and there even being "a chance he might just walk away and do nothing." The writer/producer went on to cite multiple Clint Eastwood classics as being key influences for both Odenkirk's new character, and the film as a whole:

Derek Kolstad: High Noon's a great example. I still love that scene in Pale Rider where Clint Eastwood plays the preacher in a small town, bad guys come to town, don't do anything. He walks across the street through the fight, and you're like, "Ah, doesn't do anything." Goes into the bank, opens up a safe deposit box, it's empty, and all he does is take off his collar. And then, the movie just shifts into gear. And that's what we talked about with Ulysses. His name is because of Bob's idea of Ulysses Grant's nickname was Useless. So, that's what it was based upon. And ultimately, one of the things I think that the heroes I love to write, and I love to watch, they have will and empathy and that's what this character has.

The modern action genre has certainly stayed fairly broad, though the John Wick franchise's success has led to the creation of what many have referred to as clones. From Odenkirk's aforementioned Nobody movies to Chris Hemsworth's Extraction franchise and Jalmari Helander's Sisu, many other filmmakers have sought to bring their own twist on the actor-performed hand-to-hand combat sequences and one-person armies.

Much to Kolstad's point, Hutch in the Nobody movies is one far more driven by a desire to engage in some violence. The first film's iconic bus sequence featured his inner monologue asking God for the driver to open the door and let the drunken Russian mobsters onboard so that he could fight them. The 2025 sequel, meanwhile, saw a wedge growing between him and his family because of his excitement at getting back to work, frequently ignoring his wife's pleas for a normal family vacation.

With the writer/producer indicating that Normal will be far more akin to a Western than another John Wick film, that would be an interesting change of pace for both Kolstad and Odenkirk. The marketing thus far has shown the team is still pulling from the hand-to-hand playbook that the team at 87North Productions has popularized in recent years. However, as he points out above, the film also sees the two-time Emmy winner clearly more reluctant to engage in the action, even if his curiosity gets the better of him.

Normal Review: Bob Odenkirk Goes Ballistic Yet Again

Odenkirk, Wheatley and John Wick scribe Derek Kolstad unite for a kinetic, chaotic, and ultra-cool flip of the familiar mercenary formula.

Shaking things up with a more Western influence looks to be working thus far for Odenkirk and Kolstad, as Normal has been garnering largely positive reviews from critics, currently holding an 82% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, putting it on par with the Nobody movies. While it will still have to contend with a crowded box office fight against everything from Lee Cronin's The Mummy to The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, its unique niche and smaller stakes could help it stand out enough to become a sneaky financial hit.