B.J. Novak On What It Will Take To Revive ‘The Office’; Making Sure His Movie ‘Vengeance’ Went Theatrical – Crew Call Podcast

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Spoiler Alert Warning: This podcast talks about the ending of Focus Features’ Vengeance. In an industry where smaller films are sidelined to streaming, and making theatrical films even harder, 5x Primetime Emmy The Office nominee B.J.

Novak headed to the one oasis where he knew he could make Vengeance, his feature directorial debut: Jason Blum.“(He) has a workaround, his own lane,” Novak tells us on the latest episode of Crew Call which you can listen to below:“He takes small budget bets on first time filmmakers and gives them a lot of control, no money upfront,” expounds Novak on the Blumhouse strategy, “They did take a bet on me.”Focus Features released Vengeance last Friday and to date it’s grossed $2.2M at 998 theaters.Novak had been kicking around the idea for Vengeance since as early as 2014, the conceit being “someone in a shallow life who is pulled out of his New York or LA bubble with a dating misunderstanding.”“This person would be pulled to a place where he didn’t want to go to,” Novak continues.

In this case, Novak aptly cast his deadpan voiced cadence as public radio true crime host Ben Manalowitz who is forced to venture to Texas after a girl he hooked up with is murdered.

The movie is both a slow burn noir and satirical, nuanced take on the blue and red state divide.“It’s not just a story about the disconnection between people, but the whole country is disconnected for the same reason.