By blending the kinetic choreography of John Wick with the tonal whiplash of a dark comedy vacation flick, the powerhouse screenwriting team of Derek Kolstad, Aaron Rabin, Bob Odenkirk, and Umair Aleem crafted Nobody 2, a genre-splintering sequel that asks whether peace is possible when violence becomes the language of survival.
Directed by Timo Tjahjanto (known for The Night Comes for Us), Nobody 2 is the sequel to the 2021 sleeper hit Nobody.
The first time, he went looking for the bad guys on a revenge quest. This time, he just can’t seem to get away from them, even when he’s on vacation.
“Nobody 2 is a bigger film, and it’s been a bigger job,” star and producer Odenkirk says. “I had extra responsibility trying to make the story work, and there’s just a lot more to it. There’s more fighting, character, story; there’s more everything.” The result, Odenkirk says, is a film that is “powerful, funny, surprising, out of control, bloody—and sweet.”
Taking the helm as director is Timo Tjahjanto, an innovative Indonesian filmmaker at the forefront of what’s known as the “New Indonesian Extreme” style of filmmaking. Nobody 2 is Tjahjanto’s first English-language film and his first studio film. The producers were excited by his new perspective and striking vision.
Tjahjanto’s inspiration for Nobody 2 is rooted in emotional duality, genre chaos, and a deep respect for Bob Odenkirk’s creative vision.
Tjahjanto was drawn to Hutch Mansell’s internal tug-of-war — the tension between being a devoted father and a lethal operative. He described Hutch as a “Jekyll and Hyde” figure, whose identity fractures when family and violence collide. That duality became the emotional engine of the film, with Tjahjanto saying, “Without his family, he kind of loses his identity.”
He compared Nobody 2 to a “summer rage outburst,” in contrast to the first film’s “moody winter meditation”. The sequel’s chaotic tone — blending vacation comedy, brutal action, and psychological tension — reflects Tjahjanto’s belief that storytelling should feel like a jigsaw puzzle falling into place. He embraced the absurdity of Hutch’s waterpark vacation turning into a blood-soaked reckoning.
Tjahjanto wanted to lean into the elements that made this film different than the first. While the previous film was set during the winter and was, appropriately, dark and moody, this one embraces its sun-drenched vacation aesthetic. “We thought, ‘Let’s make it playful, summery and family-oriented,’” Tjahjanto says. “You see action set pieces that tread the line between grim and playful.”
The director also wanted to embrace the gritty, messy brutality of real-life, bare-knuckle fights. “Action is a universal language,” Tjahjanto says, and cites the award-winning 2011 Indonesian action phenomenon The Raid: Redemption, as a prime example. “That film had such a fresh, kinetic take on what action is supposed to be, and that approach is slowly making its way to Hollywood, allowing actors to do longer takes, even when it was clumsy. You don’t want to keep being slick. In real life, even the best MMA fighter has this grounded sloppiness that makes it beautiful.” The style, Tjahjanto says, was ideal for this film and the character of Hutch. “Hutch is the perfect archetype who gets dirty, sloppy, absent-minded; that’s all part of the beauty,” Tjahjanto says. “He’s a guy that keeps on going.”
A man armed with ambitions and demons, Hutch Mansell, played by Bob Odenkirk, is both exceptional and relatable. Now working full time as an assassin to pay off the $30 million mob debt he incurred in the first film, Hutch has made peace with his darker angels. He loves his work and has managed to keep his lawless and suburban worlds compartmentalized without putting his family in danger … so far. “At the end of the first film, we knew about Hutch’s violent nature, his abilities and his connection to big, evil secret-agent stuff, so we needed to work with that,” Odenkirk says. “We’ve established a character who secretly/not-so-secretly enjoys beating.
For the first film, Odenkirk had devoted two years to getting in the best shape of his life to play Hutch, and this time he wanted to go even harder, embodying the physicality of a man who uses his body as a full-time weapon. “Even though I am older, I was able to do more extensive fights and more moves in this piece,” Odenkirk says. “One of the inspirations for doing this was Jackie Chan. When my kids were little, my son in particular, didn’t like films. They were just too long. But he did watch Jackie Chan in Police Story and loved it. It’s sweet and likable, and the stunts are great.”
For Tjahjanto, Nobody 2 isn’t just about action — it’s about emotional resonance.
Tjahjanto and Odenkirk bonded over the creative struggle of balancing personal life and work, and that tension is woven into Hutch’s arc. The director said, “There’s a heart and soul to it that connects to real issues. That means a lot to me.”
The result is an action film unlike any that most Americans have seen before. “Timo is such a tremendous collaborator,” producer Kelly McCormick says. “He is a gory dude, which is great for this chapter. He came into the process respecting what Bob needed, what had happened to all the characters, and where we needed to go. But he was able to give it his own special sauce. It’s strikingly beautiful, even more so than the first film, and it feels bigger. It’s got its own energy of action, but very much in the Hutch-ian way. The combination is explosive, and it’s all thanks to Timo.”
McCormick’s fellow 87North producer, David Leitch, knows a thing or two about creating memorable fights, having directed some of the most unforgettable action films of the past decade, including Bullet Train, Deadpool 2 and Atomic Blonde. Tjahjanto, he says, is the real deal. “When you hire Timo to direct, he’s going to amp up the action,” Leitch says. “Go back and look at his catalogue of work. It’s bonkers, violent, visceral and bloody. For all the right reasons, we were excited for him to infuse that style into Nobody 2.”
Bob Odenkirk returns as Hutch Mansell, the seemingly ordinary suburban dad with a lethal past. This time, the story dives deeper into Hutch’s family dynamics and unresolved debts to the Russian mob. Four years after tangling with the Russian mob, Hutch is still working off a $30 million debt through covert hits. He and Becca, feeling the strain, take their kids on a nostalgic vacation to Wild Bill’s Majestic Midway and Waterpark. But things spiral when Hutch’s daughter is bullied, triggering a brutal chain of events involving corrupt local authorities and a deranged crime syndicate.
The inspiration behind Nobody 2 is a layered blend of character evolution, genre homage, and personal storytelling
The screenplay for Nobody 2 was written Derek Kolstad, Aaron Rabin, Bob Odenkirk, and Umair Aleem.
Kolstad, the creator of the John Wick franchise, returns to expand Hutch Mansell’s gritty universe, while Rabin brings his experience from Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. Odenkirk’s involvement adds a personal layer to Hutch’s evolution, and Aleem (known for Kate) contributes his flair for stylised action and emotional stake
Bob Odenkirk initiated the original Nobody project after recognising parallels between Hutch Mansell and his Better Call Saul character, Saul Goodman. He saw Hutch as someone with “earnest desires” and a willingness to sacrifice himself — traits that could translate powerfully into an action narrative. That emotional core continues in the sequel, where Hutch’s struggle to balance violence and family deepens.
Derek Kolstad, creator of John Wick, infused Nobody with the same kinetic energy and stylised violence.
For Nobody 2, Kolstad and co-writers Aaron Rabin, Umair Aleem, and Odenkirk leaned into the idea of a “vacation gone wrong,” drawing from classic action tropes like Die Hard and True Lies, but with a darker, more introspective twist.
Once Timo Tjahjanto joined as director in 2024, the script underwent revisions to match his visceral style. The final script incorporated flashbacks, surreal fight choreography, and metaphor-rich sequences, like Hutch battling mercenaries in a hall of mirrors.
The writing team behind Nobody 2 used genre fusion and metaphor not just as stylistic flourishes, but as emotional amplifiers — turning every punch, setting, and character beat into a reflection of Hutch’s fractured psyche and strained family ties.
The film blends black comedy, action thriller, and family drama, creating tonal dissonance that mirrors Hutch’s internal conflict. Scenes shift from absurd violence to tender family moments, emphasising the tension between his assassin instincts and domestic aspirations.
The “vacation gone wrong” trope borrows from True Lies and National Lampoon, but twists it into a metaphor for emotional burnout — Hutch’s inability to disconnect from violence becomes a symbol of modern workaholism.
The hall of mirrors fight sequence isn’t just a visual homage to John Wick — it’s a metaphor for Hutch’s fractured identity. Each reflection represents a version of himself: father, killer, protector, failure.
The carnival setting turns childhood nostalgia into a battleground, suggesting that Hutch’s past — once innocent — is now weaponised.
Hutch’s improvised weapons (arcade props, duck masks, anchor) evoke Jackie Chan-style ingenuity, but also symbolise his desperation to reclaim control using whatever fragments of joy remain.
Timo Tjahjanto is an Indonesian filmmaker celebrated for his visceral blend of horror and action. Raised in Indonesia, he studied at the School of Visual Arts in Australia before launching his career as a storyboard artist. He gained prominence as one half of The Mo Brothers with Kimo Stamboel, directing cult hits like Macabre and Headshot. His solo work, including The Night Comes for Us and May the Devil Take You, showcases his signature style: brutal choreography, emotional grit, and psychological tension. Tjahjanto’s direction of Nobody 2 marks a shift toward genre fusion, balancing carnage with character introspection.
Derek Kolstad began writing screenplays as a teenager and later studied business administration at Taylor University before moving to California to pursue a career in film. His breakout came with Scorn, a spec script that evolved into John Wick after Keanu Reeves signed on and suggested naming the film after Kolstad’s grandfather. The franchise’s success cemented Kolstad’s reputation for crafting emotionally grounded, mythic action narratives.
Beyond John Wick, Kolstad wrote Nobody (2021) and co-wrote Nobody 2, blending brutal choreography with introspective character arcs. He’s also contributed to The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Die Hart, and adaptations of Splinter Cell, Just Cause, and Hellsing. His writing style is known for precision, rhythm, and emotional subtext — often described as “action with a soul.”
His work continues to explore haunted protagonists, stylised violence, and the emotional cost of survival.
Aaron Rabin is a screenwriter and producer known for his work on Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Secret Invasion, and the upcoming Nobody 2. His storytelling blends espionage tropes with grounded emotional stakes, often exploring characters caught between duty and identity. Rabin’s writing on Jack Ryan showcased his ability to balance geopolitical intrigue with personal drama, while Nobody 2 allowed him to dive into genre fusion — mixing dark comedy, action, and family tension.
He’s also been tapped to write Universal’s live-action adaptation of the Just Cause video game franchise, marking his first foray into video game storytelling. Rabin’s approach is marked by sharp pacing, psychological depth, and a collaborative spirit — working alongside Derek Kolstad, Bob Odenkirk, and Umair Aleem to shape Nobody 2’s emotional architecture.
Bob Odenkirk began his career as a comedy writer, earning Emmy Awards for his work on Saturday Night Live and The Ben Stiller Show. He co-created the cult sketch series Mr. Show with Bob and David, which became a touchstone for surreal, cerebral humour.
Odenkirk’s dramatic breakthrough came with Breaking Bad, where his portrayal of Saul Goodman — a morally flexible lawyer — led to the critically acclaimed prequel Better Call Saul. His performance earned multiple Emmy nominations and showcased his ability to navigate complex emotional terrain.
In 2021, he surprised audiences with Nobody, an action thriller that revealed his physical intensity and emotional depth. He trained extensively for the role, drawing from personal experiences and a desire to explore vulnerability through violence. He co-wrote Nobody 2, deepening Hutch Mansell’s arc with themes of identity, family strain, and emotional burnout.
Beyond acting, Odenkirk is a producer, director, and author. His memoir Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama reflects on his creative evolution and personal challenges, including surviving a near-fatal heart attack in 2021.
Umair Aleem is a Los Angeles-based writer best known for Kate (2021), a Netflix thriller about a dying assassin seeking vengeance. His storytelling is marked by kinetic energy, metaphor-rich sequences, and a tone that often reflects existential dread. Aleem grew up on John Carpenter films and took an unconventional route into screenwriting — preferring long walks and intuitive plotting over rigid outlines. He reverse-engineers his scripts, starting with the ending and letting the emotional pulse guide the structure.
His breakout script Kate was voted onto the Black List and became the most-watched film on streaming for 12 consecutive days. Aleem also contributed to Extraction and is developing projects like The Beast, Danger Girl, and The Paladin, a franchise-starter described as Doctor Strange meets Unforgiven. For Nobody 2, Aleem joined Derek Kolstad, Aaron Rabin, and Bob Odenkirk to deepen Hutch Mansell’s emotional arc, bringing his signature blend of genre mayhem and introspective storytelling.
Aleem’s writing process is deeply metaphorical — he’s said that when an idea strikes, it feels like “a lightning bolt,” and that action should convey emotion without over-writing. His characters often navigate chaos with quiet desperation, turning violence into a language of survival.
