With MacGruber blessing our timeline with eight new thirty-minute episodes on Peacock starting this Friday, I recently got to speak with writers/directors/producers/showrunners Jorma Taccone and John Solomon about making the series. As a longtime fan of MacGruber, I’m happy to say the new episodes are fantastic and loaded with scenes that will make you laugh out loud.
If you haven’t seen the trailer, the series picks up ten years after the events of the film, where MacGruber (Will Forte) has been locked up in prison for the brutal killing of Dieter von Cunth (Val Kilmer). But when a mysterious villain from his past, Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth (Billy Zane), threatens the world, MacGruber must reassemble his old team, Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig) and Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe), in order to defeat the forces of evil. As you can easily guess, nothing goes according to plan and it’s fantastic to watch.
MacGruber also stars Sam Elliott (Perry), Laurence Fishburne (General Barrett Fasoose), Billy Zane (Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth), Joseph Lee Anderson (Major Harold Kernst), and Timothy V. Murphy (Constantine Bach). Taccone, Solomon, and Forte serve as writers, executive producers, and showrunners of MacGruber. Solomon and Taccone direct all episodes. Lorne Michaels, John Goldwyn, Andrew Singer, and Erin David are also executive producers.
During the fun interview, Jorma Taccone and John Solomon talked about the freedom Peacock gave them to make the series, how the series is a long movie broken up into eight parts, their reaction learning Christopher Nolan was a big fan of MacGruber and would quote the film on the set of The Dark Knight Rises, how they tried to get Nolan to direct an episode and also pitched him on getting his throat ripped out, what it’s like working with Forte and his commitment to the role, and more. In addition, they revealed the MacGruber sequel was at one point called MacGruber: Dick Infested Waters. If you’re a fan of MacGruber you’ll learn a lot about the making of the series watching this interview.
Watch what they had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.
Jorma Taccone and John Solomon
- What was it like learning Christopher Nolan was a huge fan of the movie and quoted lines on the set of The Dark Knight Rises?
- How they invited Nolan to the table read, tried to get him to direct an episode, and also wanted to have him get his throat ripped out on the series.
- Did they get any pushback from Peacock on the level of violence in the series?
- What is it like working with Will Forte when he is so committed to the role and absolutely fearless as a performer?
- How the shoot sometimes only allowed the actors to get two takes.
- Taccone reveals the first time he saw Forte break.
- How did they decide on eight episodes?
- How it’s a long movie broken up into eight parts.
- How the entire shoot was cross boarded to maximize the shooting days and locations.
- Did they ever debate calling it something other than MacGruber?
- How the sequel at one point was going to be called MacGruber: Dick Infested Waters.
- Did Peacock ask if they have a three year plan if the show is a hit?
- How did they come up with the opening song to catch everyone up?
