Bob Odenkirk reprises his role as Hutch Mansell, an off-the-books government assassin, in “Nobody 2.”
The new film, now out in theaters, is a follow up to Odenkirk’s 2021 film “Nobody,” which introduced the actor as a middle-class working suburban dad with a lethal past.
In the first film, Hutch’s seemingly domestic life unravels after two intruders break into his home. His decision not to fight back strains his marriage and leaves him questioning whom he has become. When a bus fight puts him up against Russian mobster Yulian Kuznetsov, Hutch enlists help from his father, David (Christopher Lloyd), and brother Harry (RZA) to take down Kuznetsov’s crew. The film ends with Hutch and his family moving into a new home — but their return to normal appears to be short-lived when Hutch receives a phone call that suggests his assassin days aren’t quite over yet.
Now, four years later in “Nobody 2,” Hutch is still trying to keep his two worlds apart. “It’s basically about work-life balance but with an assassin as the worker,” Odenkirk tells TODAY.com in an exclusive interview.
Read on to learn more about “Nobody 2” and what Odenkirk has to say about the possibility of a “Nobody 3” and other sequels.
(Warning: Spoilers from “Nobody 2” below…)
What Happens in ‘Nobody 2’?
“Nobody 2” opens with Hutch going through the motions of being a contract killer for the government while balancing being an involved dad and devoted husband. Though he feels he’s found a way to manage both, Odenkirk tells TODAY.com Hutch knows that’s far from the truth.
“He thinks he’s got a balance in his life, but he knows he’s wrong … (though) he wishes he did,” Odenkirk says. “He has his actions, his missions that he’s doing, and he enjoys those. And then he’s got his family, which he is kind of ignoring, and he starts to become very aware of the fact that he’s not staying connected with his family because he’s just too preoccupied.”
In an effort to reconnect with his family, Hutch takes his wife, kids and dad on a summer vacation to a run-down theme park in Plummerville, where his dad once took him and his brother to when they were kids. But his promising family plans quickly unravel when Hutch gets into a dust-up with the local sheriff.
“The vacation is filled, as most vacations can be, with annoyances and problems and shortcomings, and then that all builds up inside him, and he explodes,” Odenkirk tells TODAY.com.
As tensions mount, Hutch’s instincts take over, and the trip turns into something much more dangerous when he discovers that Plummerville is a base for a massive bootlegging operation. What begins as a chance to bond with his family soon becomes another mission.
In the official trailer, Hutch is seen in brutal physical fights, while his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen) urges him to “fix it” — a clear sign he’s right back in the kind of high-stakes conflict he can’t seem to avoid.
Though the comedy action film leans more towards “John Wick” than “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” Odenkirk says the film offers relatable moments.
“Getting the garbage out on garbage day and not making it to your son’s basketball games because you are working and trying to plan a vacation,” Odenkirk explains. “These are all things I think people can relate to.”
How Does ‘Nobody 2′ End?
“Nobody 2” ends with a blow out fight between Hutch and his crew and the local police force and mobsters who work for Lendina (Sharon Stone) — the ruthless crime boss who runs the bootlegging operation through Plummerville. Hutch becomes Lendina’s target after he meddles in her operation by saving the theme park operator’s son, whom she had kidnapped, and burning down her massive fortune.
Odenkirk calls the “last third of the film … a James Bond film, but with a family involved.” It includes explosions, large-scale action sequences and an ending that circles back to Hutch’s core conflict: protecting his family while accepting who he really is.
In the end, Lendina and her crew are eliminated after a fiery and intense battle that ultimately brings the family together following their harrowing experience.
Does ‘Nobody 2′ Have a Post-Credits Scene?
“Nobody 2” does not have a post-credits scene, but it does have a scene that plays at the beginning of the end-credits.
While most end-credits and post-credits scenes help to wrap up any loose ends from the film or tease the next chapter in a franchise, the final scene in “Nobody 2” only offers snapshots of what happened during the family’s action-packed vacation in Plummerville. It includes pictures taken by Hutch’s daughter that show various moments from their vacation and epic battle at the amusement park.
Will There Be a ‘Nobody 3′?
In an exclusive interview with TODAY.com, Odenkirk says he would be down to do another “Nobody” sequel, officially reprising his role of Hutch.
“I want a ‘Nobody 3’ and a ‘Nobody 4,’” he says. But, according to Odenkirk, there has yet to be an official conversation to get the ball rolling on it.
“If the audience likes it … they decide, not us,” he explains.
On the date of publication, “Nobody 2” has already scored a 77% score on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and a 91% audience score.
What Does Bob Odenkirk Say About ‘Nobody 3′?
Whether or not a third “Nobody” film gets green-lit, Odenkirk already has a specific direction in mind. Just as “Nobody 2” is set four years after the first film, he sees the next installment reflecting another time jump, four years after “Nobody 2.”
“Now those kids are older, Hutch really needs to reconnect before they split apart,” he says of his on-screen children, Sammy (Paisley Cadorath) and Brady (Gage Munroe). In a potential third film, Odenkirk says his son would now be a 22-year-old adult, which could bring “another level of trying to stay connected and a different set of tensions and challenges.”
Aside from all the action, Odenkirk says the balance of relatable family dynamics is at the heart of the series. “These films are meant to … connect with our audience and connect this character on a common shared sense of family tension, and then let them become part of an action movie.”
He also says there could be space for Becca’s backstory, which he revealed they filmed for “Nobody 2.”
“We know that backstory. In fact, we wrote it into ‘Nobody 2,’ but we didn’t shoot it because we didn’t have room in the story,” Odenkirk tells TODAY.com. “But we do know who Hutch and Becca are. We do know how they met, and we do know that they both know, if they cast their minds back to how they met, they both know that they are with a kick a– spouse, and sometimes they forget that.”
“Nobody 2″ is a Universal Pictures film, which shares TODAY.com’s parent company, NBCUniversal.