The Big Picture

Collider’s Steve Weintraub sits down with writer, producer, and filmmaker Paul Feig at SDCC 2024 for his upcoming movie
Jackpot!
.

Jackpot!
is an action-comedy starring Awkwafina and John Cena about a futuristic lottery with deadly consequences for the winner.
Feig discusses
The Office
spin-off, why he initially turned down Jackpot! (and what changed his mind),
A Simple Favor 2
, and his upcoming Blumhouse horror-comedy.

Known for making comfort watches like Bridesmaids and Freaks and Geeks, Paul Feig’s comedic timing is undeniable, and he hopes to win the lottery with his next big bet, Jackpot!. The film, originally entitled Grand Death Lotto, follows Katie (Awkwafina) in a futuristic California, doing her best to remain alive after winning a lottery ticket. Although the million-dollar prize is a welcoming surprise, it also comes at a cost. As the recipient, she becomes the target of anyone willing to kill her by sunrise in order to get access to the money.

The action comedy, which also stars Simu Liu and John Cena, will arrive on Prime Video in August. Ahead of the film’s streaming release, Feig had a sit-down conversation with Collider’s own Steve Weintraub at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con to talk about it, as well as the other exciting projects the director is currently working on.

During the interview, Feig reminisced on his pleasant experience directing episodes of The Office, his initial judgment of Jackpot! before he was captivated by the script, why the film is the closest he has ever been to making a Jackie Chan-type movie, as well as updates on the A Simple Favor sequel and the upcoming Blumhouse film based on Netflix’s Worst Roommate Ever.

You can check out the full interview in the video above or the transcript below.

Paul Feig Is Game to Return to Director’s Chair in ‘The Office’ Spin-Off
Image via NBC

COLLIDER: A lot of people might not realize you directed episodes of The Office.

FEIG: Yeah, I think it was 19. On the internet, they say 14, and I think it’s more than that.

That show is still as popular as ever. What do you remember about directing those episodes and being a part of that franchise?

FEIG: I just remember having to work so hard not to laugh and ruin takes. Steve Carell is so funny. The first one I did was when he was buying his own condo and him having his breakdown about how it cost too much. He kept doing it and I kept laughing so much. They kept having to move my monitors further and further away from the set because I would ruin all the takes. I just remember laughing and everybody being so wonderful. It was just such a fun environment. It was so loose because of that documentary style. Every time you do a take, you’ve done the whole scene, but then you can just do it over and over again and try different things. That looseness, I think, is why that show endures. It’s just very naturally funny.

I saw a lot of bloopers last year on social media, and the cast laughing, and I’m like, how did they actually make this show? Because, as you said, they’re all so funny.

FEIG: It was hard. People broke constantly. It was just part of the fun, but I think that was part of the energy of it too. You could feel that they were enjoying what they were doing while they were still committed to being real in it. It’s my favorite way to do comedy. I always try to create that environment on my movie sets too.

Related Here’s What the Original ‘The Office’ Creator Thinks of the New Spin-off Stephen Merchant co-created the original UK comedy series with Ricky Gervais.

I know that Greg is developing, I guess it’s a spin-off. I’m not 100%.

FEIG: Yeah, it’s a whole different cast, and I think it’s a whole different world.

I think it takes place in the same world, but it’s gonna be in a newspaper.

FEIG: That’s what it is.

I have to ask. If you get called, would you…?

FEIG: I’d always go back and work with that gang. I’m busy with my movies now, but it’s just too much fun. Especially if they’re going to do that style, which I’m sure they will.

Paul Feig Almost Passed On ‘Jackpot!’ Because of its Initial Title

Let’s jump into another thing, which is Jackpot!, your movie coming out on August 15.

FEIG: The movie is so big I have to use two microphones to talk about Jackpot! on the stereo.

I hate asking the generic thing, but there are going to be people who haven’t seen the trailer yet or don’t know anything about it. What’s your logline?

FEIG: My logline is basically, in the near future in California, there is a lottery in which, if you win, everybody who has a losing ticket has until sundown to kill you and take your prize legally.

Right. Is this an idea by Donald Trump?

FEIG: He’d like to take credit for it. I guarantee you that. No, it’s wild. It’s a script that got sent to me. Rob [Yescombe] wrote it. He’s a really great writer and writes a lot of video games, but also does a lot of work in movies and all that. It was originally called Grand Death Lotto, and they sent me the script, and I said, “That sounds really stupid. I’m not gonna read that script.” Two days later, my producing partner Laura Fischer called me up and said, “You should read that script. It’s really funny.” I got about 40 pages into the 100-page script and called her back and said, “I’m doing this movie. I don’t even care how it ends. I’m doing this movie.”

‘Jackpot!’ Is the Jackie Chan Action Movie of Paul Feig’s Dreams
Image via Prime Video

You have a lot of action, and I know you didn’t have so long to shoot this, so how did you do it?

FEIG: Well, I had a great stunt team, a lot of preparation, a great cast that just could pull it off. I mean, who knows more about choreographing action than John Cena? When you’re a wrestler, you gotta know and be precise and be able to do all that and do it convincingly. Everybody dug in. James Young, the great James Young, was our stunt coordinator and he and his team do a lot of the Marvel movies and Captain America and all that. They were so excited to get to do comedic action because we’re both Jackie Chan fanatics. That’s when I first read this, and it was like, “This is my chance to finally make the Jackie Chan movie I always wanted to make.” So we all just kind of poured in and said, “How do we make this action real but funny?”

When you think back on the shoot, what was the day that you had circled in terms of, “I can’t wait to film this,” and what was the day circled in terms of, “How the F are we gonna film this?”

FEIG: I think every day had those two emotions completely squashed together because I was so excited about all the scenes. They’re all very daunting because there’s so much going on in them. I have to say the “F one” that I really loved shooting, and I was looking forward to, was the first time Nora finds out she’s in danger in this dojo with all these karate experts, and then it all spills over into a yoga studio. That one just makes me laugh because it’s pure physical action. The ending, we had this big scene in a theater, and it was just so daunting because it’s so big. We didn’t have a lot of time to shoot it. That was scary, but it’s fun.

I’m always fascinated by the editing process, so for this film, how did it change in the editing room? Maybe in ways you didn’t expect.

FEIG: We required less jokes than we thought we needed because I always get a ton of jokes. We write all these alt jokes and our test audiences found the action and the situation so funny that we didn’t need to put a hat on a hat. We actually ended up taking a lot of jokes out. That’s why, for the first time in my career, I did an outtakes reel in the end credits of the movie just because I was like, “We have all these funny jokes that didn’t necessarily work in the body of the movie, but they’re just funny on their own.”

When you do the outtake and the credits like that, do you have to get the actor’s permission to do that?

FEIG: Technically, no, because that’s all part of the filming process. You don’t sneak in. But we always try to make sure they’re cool.

Do you know what I mean, though?

FEIG: 100%. You don’t want a blooper where somebody blows up and calls everybody an asshole or something.

How long ago did you actually finish filming Jackpot!? A lot of people don’t realize you finish and then sometimes it’s so long before it comes out.

FEIG: This is weird because this is the first movie I did where we finished it, and then we had like half a year until it came out. We finished shooting this last spring, and then we basically finished all post, and everything was signed, sealed, and delivered at the end of September or October. It’s just been kind of sitting there, and they’re like, “Oh, we want it to come out next summer.” Once you finish it, you want everybody to see it, so it’s really weird.

I finished this whole other movie in between because we shot A Simple Favor 2, and I’ve already had my first test screening of it. So now this one’s coming out. It’s fun to not be relying on one thing. It’s all about that, and then what am I gonna do next? So, it’s nice that it’s finished. Now, I’ve got the next thing and the next thing coming up.

It’s gonna be on Prime Video, and what’s cool about that is that so many people have Prime Video, and they can watch. Is it a little nice to not worry about the opening weekend box office?

FEIG: It’s funny you say that because, look, we always desperately want our movies in theaters, on the big screen, because this is made for the big screen. If you want, when you want, watch it at home. Turn it up. Watch on the biggest thing you can. There is a little bit of freedom to going, “Okay, you’re under what we thought,” or whatever. They still tell you the viewing numbers, so you get that, but it’s much easier to get people to click on the title than go out in their car and go to a movie theater. It really is.

‘A Simple Favor 2′ Sets a 2025 Release
Feig teases images may drop soon.

I want to talk to you about A Simple Favor. I think a lot of people were surprised when it was announced and then all of a sudden you guys were making it. So, how did it actually come together?

FEIG: Well, it’s actually been in the works for a while. I never do sequels, but this was just one— I don’t know. I think there’s another story to tell with these characters, and I had an idea that I was playing around with. I was like, “Wait, these two can marry together.” But we’ve been working on this script for, gosh, almost three years now, I would dare say. We actually had a script that was completely green-lit, ready to go, and then, when the writers’ strike happened, I was looking at a lot of the responses we were getting from people who were excited about the sequel and just going, “I love this script, but I don’t think this is what they want.” So we threw out that script, or at least about 70% of it, and rewrote it. Now I’m just so happy that we did because I think it’s exactly how we wanted it. We just did a test screening the other night, and we scored very, very high. People really like it.

What can you tell people in terms of the plot?

FEIG: Not much. All I can really say is that there’s a destination wedding in Italy and a lot of crazy stuff happens at it.

I do know that you shot in Italy, so basically, you got paid to go on vacation.

FEIG: That was the plan. Then, when you get there, it’s so hard. The thing I realize is don’t work in a place where you normally vacation because you’re like, “I’m supposed to be having fun, and I’m really stressed out, and everything is going wrong.” But once it’s over, then it’s great. And I still got to live in Rome and Capri for six months.

That’s what I said! So you got paid to go on vacation. You know what’s funny? It’s like Comic-Con for me. Everyone’s like, “Oh, you get to go to Comic-Con”, and I’m working 24/7. It’s hard to enjoy it. You know what I mean?Grateful to be here.

FEIG: You have your fun moments but most of the time you’re just stressed out and not having fun.

For fans, when do you think they’re gonna get the first images and trailer?

FEIG: I don’t know because it’ll come out next year, but we don’t have a release date yet.

We’re still trying to figure that out. I don’t know. Sometimes they want to hang out with these things until the summer to make them big. Sometimes they want it to go out in the spring. I trust their instincts on these kinds of things, but I’d like to get some images out soon.

The nice thing was I was gonna put out some advanced images, but then I thought, “You know what? There’s enough people around that are gonna be capturing it, and I’d rather let it sneak out that way.” There are some really fun pictures online of some of Blake [Lively]’s costumes.

Related ‘A Simple Favor 2’ Adds ‘Glee’ & ‘Minx’ Stars to Sequel The new cast members include a familiar face to fans of the first movie.

Got it. When do you have to have your cut done? When is your due date for everything on the film?

FEIG: I have 10 weeks to do my director’s cut. We did this test screening after six weeks because I always try to do one really early just to see where we are. I technically have to have everything locked by October, but then we’ll finish the whole process out the door right at the beginning of January.

So there’s no chance of it coming out this year. It sounds to me like next summer. It could even be at SXSW, something along those lines.

FEIG: I love SXSW! It’s one of my favorite places to show a movie. I was really bummed that we weren’t able to show Jackpot! there. I really wanted to, but everybody felt it was a little far from the release date. Whatever. [Laughs] It’s just because I love seeing it with an audience in a theater. It’s so much fun.

Listen, I think there’s nothing like seeing a movie in a movie theater. It’s so cliché, but it’s so true.

FEIG: It’s true. Just have your friends over and watch on the big screen.

Blumhouse’s Upcoming Project Is Inspired by This Netflix Series

Before I run out of time, literally yesterday it was announced that you’re going to do a movie with Jason Blum at Blumhouse. It’s about the worst roommate ever, or a bad roommate. I don’t know the title. What’s the title?

FEIG: We don’t have a title for the movie, but it’s based on a true story called Worst Roommate Ever. It’s also a reality series on Netflix right now too.

What was it about the material that said, “Oh, I need to do this?”

FEIG: It’s just a fun, crazyass story. I love the woman at the center of it. She gets caught in something because she’s a nice person and gets completely taken advantage of by this insane, insane dude. There’s a lot of chance for real thrills and real scares, but also some humor, too, which I’m always looking for. How can I make things fun, not necessarily comedy, but fun? I want all my movies to be fun, even if they get dark. If they get scary, I wanna be fun and kind of uplifting at the end.

With Blumhouse, sometimes they do the micro-budget that’s like $5 million, $10 million, and sometimes they spend more. The thing about this premise, and with you, is it seems like it could go in so many different directions from being really boundary-pushing to a more conventional studio movie. What are you envisioning?

FEIG: We wanna push the boundaries. Definitely! I like really pushing stuff. You’ll see when you see A Simple Favor 2. We pushed the boundaries on that one. I think that’s fun, and also,a lot of my movies lately have been on a pretty big budget. I like the idea of doing something on a smaller budget because it gives us the freedom to kind of do what we want and not have to check a lot of boxes for the overlords, if you will. But at the same time, I’m a commercial filmmaker; I’m not gonna make anything that I don’t think entertains an audience right down the middle. I just wanna push them a little bit.

Related Blumhouse Films Might Not Always Succeed, but They’re Doing This Right Let them cook!!!

Sure. The thing about Blumhouse and the fact that if you can make it at a lower price point is you can be rated R, and you can do some crazy shit.

FEIG: Totally.

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you do Jason Blum-type crazy stuff. Do you know what I mean? Is it gonna be one of these scary-type movies? Is it gonna be fun and scary?

FEIG: It’s gonna be fun and scary. To me, it’s really partly in the spirit of those ‘90s movies, like the Ashley Judd movies and that kind of thing, but also with a modern twist on it, and just to really push it really far. I love doing R-rated. That’s my favorite genre to do because everything can be honest, and people can talk the way they talk, and you can shock people with stuff, and you don’t have to pull back. We really wanna go kind of nuts with this one.

Obviously, you don’t have a script done, so is this definitely your next project?

FEIG: There’s a script. There’s definitely a script. We’re just doing rewrites on it right now, but it’ll go sooner than later.

Do you think you’re filming this year?

FEIG: Yeah, and we’ll be prepping this year. We start shooting at the beginning of next.

Oh, so this is official.

FEIG: This is my next movie.

Are you the type of person who likes to develop five different things at once, or are you more like one at a time?

FEIG: Well, you have to. You have to get things on the fire. We’ve got a bunch of projects at our company that are in various stages of development and rewriting and all that kind of thing. You just don’t know when the stars are gonna be available, when the studio wants to do it, and the cast. You can suddenly get the greatest cast, and then they’re like, “Oh, but they’re not available for a year,” and you’re like, “Okay.” You have to have a bunch. But also, when I know what it is, it’s all I care about. It’s all I think about 24/7. I don’t think you can be in the middle of one thing and say, “Hey, we’re working on this, and we’re gonna do that.” My team knows once I’m in, that’s it.

Related ‘Freaks and Geeks’ Creator Paul Feig Answers Burning Questions on Accelerated Storylines, Why He Made the Lead Female, and More Feig looks back on the show’s legacy, how its aesthetic was controversial at the time, and talks reunion possibilities.

The thing that I wish more people knew about is scheduling. People don’t understand what that word is in Hollywood and how much that messes with so many projects. People will wonder, “Well, why did this all of a sudden rush into production?”It’s because, “This star has one month free in September, and we have four weeks of prep. Can you shoot it?”

FEIG: The hardest part of our job is scheduling. The other thing is that stars now, you get them for a week or two weeks. It’s all about, “Okay, this person can do it, but you’ve got a week and a half, and that’s it.” We have three weeks worth of work. How do we do this? So we’re just constantly mobilizing that. How can we get them in and out? How can we make this happen? You wanna see a picture of what a director really is? It’s like, “Well, fuck,” on the phone. That’s all we do.

It’s also different now in terms of digital filmmaking. It’s just a different way of making movies than a decade ago or two decades ago. Everyone has to pivot into what’s possible.

FEIG: There’s also a lot of extra stuff on the set. It used to be a film camera, which just was a film camera, and it had the video assist, so you’d run a cable of that. Now, there are cables and cords and tents and DITs and all this stuff, which is great. Everything looks great, and you know exactly on set what your movie is gonna look like, which is exciting as opposed to the old days when you’d go to the dailies and go, “I hope it looks good.” So that’s really cool, but sometimes you’re just like, “Wow, there’s a lot of people on the set.”

The Downsides of the Volume

Are you at all thinking about using the Volume technology LED screens, or are you like, “No?”

FEIG: We’ve looked into it. It’s not as easy as it seems like it is. There’s a lot of cleaning up that happens with it that they don’t really talk about. I guess I shouldn’t talk about it. But I mean, I don’t have a stock in it, so what do I get? It’s not like, “Okay, it’s great,” and then you’re done. They have to do a lot of cleaning up on it. I’m open to it, but also, you have to have everything planned out before you get there, and I’m a kind of a spontaneous filmmaker. I like to have freedom. I’d much rather shoot people in an actual car and sweat my ass off on the back of a camera truck than be on blue screen in the studio and know that we gotta make these comps look good down the road because people just react differently when they’re in the actual environment.

You know who I think would be losing his mind for the Volume technology?

FEIG: Hitchcock.

I was gonna say Kubrick because, I don’t really want to make a guess, but he is so about shots and precision. I think if he could have had that kind of control with everything in the background, he would have loved it.

FEIG: Oh, no, totally. I am not such a control freak director. I’m the opposite. I’m just like, “What can happen? Let’s go over here, let’s do this. Let’s try this.”

Jackpot! will arrive on Prime Video on August 15, 2024 in the U.S.

Watch on Prime Video