Jason Bateman says the writers behind Netflix’s “Black Rabbit” weren’t afraid to build unlikable characters, and he credits Netflix with rescuing “Arrested Development” after Fox canceled it—details he shared during a “FYSEE Unplugged: Jason Bateman Retrospect
In “Black Rabbit,” currently streaming on Netflix, Jason Bateman plays a Brooklyn-born brother who reunites with Jude Law after estrangement—and then watches that second chance curdle fast. The series leans into destructive patterns, and it doesn’t pretend the characters are easy to love.
Bateman says that was the pull for him. He also directed the first two episodes. and he credits the writers for being willing to craft people viewers might not root for. “That is kind of a no-no in network television. ” Bateman told Variety’s executive TV editor Michael Schneider during the “FYSEE Unplugged: Jason Bateman Retrospective” conversation in partnership with Netflix. “It’s kind of tough to find that there’s no one to really root for in this show because everyone starts so broken and so flawed and so ethically flexible.”.
The show has also already cleared a awards hurdle: it has earned nominations at the Golden Globes, Producers Guild, Writers Guild and Screen Actors Guild awards.
When it came to episodes 3 and 4, Bateman didn’t keep that directorial run for himself. He brought in Laura Linney—his Emmy-winning co-star from “Ozark”—to direct those installments. Bateman said he and Linney’s team had to work through the practical weight of the role. “[Her manager and I] strategized. ‘How do we talk to Laura and convince her to take on the responsibility of directing?’ It is a different part of the brain and you are working. you’re first in and last out. you don’t have days off. It’s a lot and no would have been a very easy answer for Laura. I was really, really happy and proud of her.”.
The conversation also stretched back to Bateman’s career turning points—from his first acting gig on “Little House on the Prairie” to his short-lived tenure on “It’s Your Move,” and then to the show that made him a household name: “Arrested Development.”
He spoke directly about how Netflix ultimately saved it after Fox canceled the series. Bateman described asking “Arrested Development” creator Mitchell Hurwitz about the streaming interest after Netflix showed interest in picking up the show. “ ‘Are you talking about the company with the red envelopes and the DVDs?’” Bateman recalled asking.
He tied that moment to a wider industry shift. pointing to a headline he remembered while the cast and creators were weighing the offer. During the same period. he said. a major announcement about David Fincher’s “House of Cards” landed: Fincher had secured $100 million in a two-season guarantee. Bateman said that, for him, was the signal that mattered. “That huge announcement that David Fincher just got $100 million in a two-season guarantee for ‘House of Cards’ was like. ‘Fucking David Fincher is saying yes to Netflix?’ That was just good enough for me and the rest of the industry. And off we went!”.
Jason Bateman Black Rabbit Netflix Arrested Development Ozark Jude Law Laura Linney Golden Globes Producers Guild Writers Guild Screen Actors Guild