For a long time, many of us knew actor and comedianBob Odenkirkas the smooth-talking and morally-corrupt lawyer, Saul Goodman, inBreaking BadandBetter Call Saul. But, in 2021, Odenkirk upped the ante - both professionally and physically — and proved that he was oh so much more than the guy with the quippy one-liners and that he was, in fact, a mean, lean, fighting machine. Odenkirk’s badassery inIlya Naishuller’s (Hardcore Henry)Nobodysaw the Emmy Award-winner quite literally roll with the punches as he sought revenge after standing idly by when his family was under attack.
Fully immersing himself in the character,Odenkirk didn’t just want to act, he wanted to really deliver the stunts that he was performing. Through rigorous training with some of the best in the biz,Odenkirk got ready to take on his on-screen enemies.But what many don’t know is that before he shotNobody, Odenkirk and a team of stunt veterans flew to Berlin and made an 8-minute short film,Wish Me Luck, and we’re excited to give our readers the first trailer for the project.
As the footage shows, Odenkirk was in very capable hands as his leading trainer on the project was none other thanDaniel Bernhardt, who audiences will recognize from his appearances in such titles asThe Matrix Reloaded,The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, andJohn Wick. Cool and confident, Bernhardt was more than up to the task of whippingOdenkirk into shape and getting him ready to take and land some blowsinNobody.
The clip shows the two putting in the long, grueling hours at the gym, with the trainer and martial artist teaching his pupil the ins and outs of the art of the fight. Explaining his drive behind his fitness journey,Odenkirk reveals that he wanted to perform his own stunts for the productionbut was “a little concerned” about keeping up with the other professionals. With the help of Bernhardt and a few other pals, including directorCan Aydinand stunt professionalsPhong Giang,Cha-Lee Yoon, and others, Odenkirk gotWish Me Luckup and running during his rigorous training schedule in Berlin and is beyond excited to soon share the end product with viewers.
Never Underestimate A Ticked-Off Dad
InNobody,Odenkirk stars as Hutch Mansell,a suburban, married father of two who becomes disappointed in himselfafter a home invasion leaves his family shaken. Catching crap from everyone around him, his neighbors and extended family want to know why Hutch didn’t stand up to the invaders. With rage building inside of him, Hutch finally snaps, and — surprisingly for others and maybe even himself — finds that past secrets he thought were long buried, have resurfaced and allowed him to be quite adept at the art of fighting. But, revenge comes with a hefty price asHutch finds himself back in the nightmare scenario of needing to defend his family from a powerful adversary.
Along with Odenkirk,Nobodyalso featured performancesfromConnie Nielsen(Gladiator),Christopher Llyod(theBack to the Futuretrilogy),Aleksei Serebryakov(Leviathan),Wu-Tang Clan’sRZA, andMichael Ironside(The Dropout).
With the fate ofNobody 2still up in the air, Odenkirk’s release ofWish Me Luckcouldn’t have come ata better time. Check out the trailer below and stay tuned for the entire short film to drop here on Collider on January 31.
