Derek Kolstad may joke about preferring to be alone in a room with a computer, but the writer-producer behind ‘Normal’ has plenty to say about the character-driven origins of his latest film.
“I always think about the character first and so I built out the Ulysses character,” Kolstad says about the genesis of the script. “I’m from Madison, Wisconsin, so all my family is from Mazomanie, Wisconsin Rapids and, Oconomowoc, Eau Claire. Every small town had that main street that half is boarded up, half is thriving as well as one might thrive in a small town. But there was always that one store that you’re like, how the hell are they doing so well? And really, that’s where the character and the plot collided.”
Derek Kolstad discusses how ‘Normal’ originated from character-first storytelling inspired by small-town Midwestern life, blending genre influences ranging from classic Westerns to offbeat satire. He details developing the project independently with Bob Odenkirk and producer Marc Provissiero, ultimately bringing in director Ben Wheatley after an immediate creative connection. Kolstad emphasizes the film’s collaborative process, from script evolution through on-set improvisation, and reflects on the strong camaraderie among the cast and crew. He also highlights Odenkirk’s dedication to physically demanding roles, expresses pride in the film’s reception at Toronto International Film Festival, and teases the possibility of expanding the story into multiple sequels while remaining satisfied if it stands alone.
Following the death of Normal, Minnesota’s previous sheriff, Ulysses (Bob Odenkirk) takes the job of substitute sheriff in the small, forgotten town. What begins as a routine response to a local bank heist quickly spirals into something much larger, as Ulysses stumbles onto a conspiracy with far higher stakes than he could ever possibly imagined.
Directed by Ben Wheatley and written by Derek Kolstad (story by Kolstad and Bob Odenkirk, ‘Normal’ stars Bob Odenkirk, Henry Winkler, Lena Headey, Ryan Allen, Billy MacLellan, Brendan Fletcher, Reena Jolly, Peter Shinkoda, Jess McLeod, Derek Barnes, David Lawrence Brown, Chad Bruce, Lauren Cochrane, Dan De Jaege, Takahiro Inoue, Brian Kawakami, John C. MacDonald, Alex MacMillan, Megan McArton, Aaron Merke, Carson Nattrass, Harry Nelken, Yosuke Nishi, Bradley Sawatzky.
Magnolia Pictures released ‘Normal’ in theaters on April 17, 2026.
Awards Focus: It’s so nice to meet you today. How are you doing?
Derek Kolstad: Doing well. I’d rather be alone in an office with a computer, but I can do this. I can do this press thing.
AF: I was hoping to meet you in Chicago, but Passover scheduling kind of prevented that on Friday.
Derek Kolstad: It was fun to watch it at the Music Box because I lived in Chicago for a spell and would go there. It kind of felt like you want to go back in time and tell that guy, Hey man, one day.
AF: Did that happen to coincide with Bob Odenkirk performing at the likes of Second City or IO or any of the other Chicago improv theaters?
Derek Kolstad: I don’t—because I would have been there in the late 90s. I think we would have missed paths by a good five to ten years, but we both have a special love for that city.
AF: Yeah. What was the genesis behind the story for ‘Normal’?
Derek Kolstad: I was on the set of ‘Nobody’ doing a set visit. I always think about the character first and so I built out the Ulysses character. I’m from Madison, Wisconsin, so all my family is from Mazomanie, Wisconsin Rapids and, Oconomowoc, Eau Claire. Every small town had that main street that half is boarded up, half is thriving as well as one might thrive in a small town. But there was always that one store that you’re like, how the hell are they doing so well? And really, that’s where the character and the plot collided.
AF: Did you have a finished script at the time when you met Bob on the set of ‘Nobody’?
Derek Kolstad: Well, I had done ‘Nobody’ and developed that with Bob. He and I had already known each other for many years because it took so long to get that one going. When I pitched it first to a producer on this one, Marc Provissiero, and then time and bandwidth and then, about a year or so later, he emailed me. He’s like, “What do we do next?” I sent him three paragraphs, three different ideas. One was ‘Normal’, and he’s like, “I remember that one.”
I sent him the treatment, sat down. He came in and he shared story by credit because we just really spent so much time on those first 40 pages—40 minutes in the movie—to make sure that we had the depth and the balance of character and characters correct. I went off to spec it and once the screenplay was done, we had him and me and Marc. We had a choice: do we go set this up at a studio or do we try to do it independently and actually own it and have a little bit of control? We thought we’d do it independently.
But to do that and to make the Berlin Film Festival, we needed a director. We Zoomed with a bunch of different directors. Ben Wheatley, I knew simply as a director that I loved. ‘Kill List’, especially, and I loved ‘Free Fire.’ Both Bob and Marc watched ‘Free Fire’ and were like, dude, this is our guy. He jumped on the Zoom and within 30 seconds, Bob and Marc and I were texting, going, Yeah, this is our guy.
Once we had the package together, went to Berlin, got the funding, and from there on out, the real work begins, but that’s how it came together. I will say, usually on the last week of shooting, you want to go home, you’re tired of everyone. When Bob wrapped, we had about four hours left of shooting, and he went and shaved off his mustache, came back to hang because he loved that crew, loved that cast. It was difficult, but it was a family.
AF: I love how Ben described the film as an inverted ‘High Noon’ where everybody hates the sheriff.
Derek Kolstad: Yeah. Well, it’s funny because the movies I comp are are very disparate, but I love ‘Bad Day at Black Rock’ with Spencer Tracy, ‘Rio Bravo’, ‘Sons of Katie Elder,’ and then ‘Stepford Wives’ and ‘Hot Fuzz.’ It was really a snowball effect of what we could do here. Once we got the story down, it was like, okay, can I pull the script off? And then once we got the script there, it’s, okay, can we pull the movie off?
Ben was and is the perfect choice for this thing because he loves running the gambit of the genre scape and blending and balancing. Man, through his focal, really, really proud of what we did here.
AF: How thrilled were you and the team to premiere the film in Toronto last year?
Derek Kolstad: It was glorious because, also, the theater we were in was the Royal Alex, and I’d never been in that. I had no idea it was so massive. When I came out on stage to see that many people wanting to watch and then after just enjoying it to such a degree, I mean, I’ve always loved Toronto and it was encouraging more than anything to see that reaction at TIFF.
The Royal Alex was awesome. Yeah, I really enjoyed that one.
AF: I would have done the midnight screening in Toronto, but my days of staying up that late are over.
Derek Kolstad: We didn’t want to do the midnight—
AF: I saw it that Wednesday evening, and I was one of the last ones in the P&I screening.
Derek Kolstad: Very cool.
AF: Between ‘Nobody,’ ‘Nobody 2,’ and ‘Normal,’ it’s really solidified Bob Odenkirk as an unlikely action hero.
Derek Kolstad: Yeah. Well, people often ask me, why Bob? The reality is Bob came to me wanting to do this kind of movie, this kind of character. More importantly, he wanted to do the work. For two years before the cameras started rolling on ‘Nobody,’ he trained. He got in the best shape of his life. After ‘Nobody’ wrapped, he kept training. He kept up the workouts.
He enjoys doing it. Because we as audience members know full well that when the camera’s behind the actor’s head, it’s not them. But by having the camera on Bob for as much as he can, he’s doing as much as he can. He befriends the stunt guys, those teams, respects the hell out of them, and just loves playing in their sandbox.
AF: Yeah. Could we potentially see a ‘Normal 2’ or does the team feel that this is one and done?
Derek Kolstad: I have ‘Normal 2-5’ in my head. Just like after all of the other things I’ve done, when I go for long hikes, I imagine where these characters would go. If there’s only one ‘Normal,’ I will be so happy. But if I get to go back into this pond again with these people I respect and have become friends and family, in a heartbeat, I would return to this world because the character is interesting. The tone is interesting. And yeah, no, I love it, man.
AF: Yeah. Was there room for improv on set?
Derek Kolstad: All the time. I believe that the screenplay is a living document. As soon as we cast it, I ran through the lines with all the actors and said, how do you want to say it? Fifteen minutes before a scene, Bob will have notes and I’ll address them because he and I have a shorthand by now. But I love that you would do a take and then Bob would say, “I want to try it this way.” And then Ben would say, “Ooh, you know what? You do this.” And then I would say—or Billy, in one of the scenes, is the actor he’s working with, would say, “How about I do this?”
We say the phrase iron sharpens iron, best idea wins way too many times. If it was a drinking game, I would be dead right now. But it’s true. I like collaboration. A lot of people say they do, but it’s just lip service. On set, we’re all getting to that goal together.
AF: If you’re allowed to say anything at all, where do things stand on ‘Nobody 3,’ if that’s going to happen or not?
Derek Kolstad: I don’t know. I am just as in the dark, but I love Hutch, love that character, love Bob. Any chance I can work with him, I’ll leap back. But what we’ve done thus far, I’m proud of, man. Very happy. Yeah.
It was so nice to meet you.
Derek Kolstad: A pleasure.
Best of luck with everything and the film opening. I’m telling everyone I know that it’s one that I recommend.
Derek Kolstad: Dude, thank you so much. I appreciate that.