Jason Bateman is stepping back behind the camera for Netflix with a new offbeat crime film, ‘The Cackling of the Dodos,’ continuing his fascination with morally murky characters and spiralling consequences.
After diving into the shadowy corners of human behaviour with projects like ‘Ozark’ and ‘Black Rabbit,’ Bateman’s latest venture promises another descent into chaos, this time with a darkly comedic twist set against a rural backdrop.
Leading the cast are Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson, reuniting after their acclaimed collaboration in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. That 2017 black comedy-drama earned Rockwell an Academy Award and a nomination for Harrelson. The screenplay comes from novelist Rye Curtis, known for his debut novel ‘Kingdomtide.’
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Despite its whimsical title, ‘The Cackling of the Dodos’ is far from a nature documentary. The story centres on a small-town farmer whose routine life is shattered when he discovers a corpse hidden in a grain bin.
What follows is less a calculated crime thriller and more a messy spiral. Under orders from his boss, the farmer embarks on what’s described as a “chaotic, sloppy cover-up,” suggesting a narrative filled with bad decisions, escalating consequences, and dark humour simmering beneath the surface.
