©Independent Film company
Connecting with fellow filmmakers in Hollywood can at times reflect real-life personal relationships. Movie collaborators and romantic partners often say they’re going to work together to accomplish a shared goal. However, those plans often don’t end up getting accomplished. That’s certainly the case for the filmmaker protagonist and his actress wife in the new action-comedy thriller, Over Your Dead Body.
Jorma Taccon, who made his feature film directorial debut on MacGruber, helmed the new movie. Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney wrote Over Your Dead Body. The film is an English-language remake of the 2021 feature, The Trip.
87North Productions founders and spouses, Kelly McCormick and David Leitch, produced the thriller. Jason Segel, Samara Weaving, Timothy Olyphant and Juliette Lewis star in the movie.
Over Your Dead Body follows miserable couple Dan and Lisa (Segel and Weaving) as they retreat to a remote cabin for a romantic reset. However, each arrives with a secret plan to murder the other.
But their carefully plotted traps quickly unravel when a dangerous crew, including fugitives Pete and Todd (Olyphant and Keith Jardine) and corrupt prison guard Allegra (Lewis), crashes the weekend with plans of their own. As the toxic getaway spirals into chaotic carnage, Dan and Lisa must survive not only each other, but also the intruders. In the process, they must figure out if they want to save their marriage or survive it.
Independent Film Company will distribute Over Your Dead Body in theaters nationwide this Friday, April 24. The movie’s official release comes after it had its World Premiere at last month’s SXSW. Taccone generously took the time to discuss the experience of helming the thriller in honor of its release.
©Independent Film company
Q: You directed the new movie, Over Your Dead Body, which is a remake of the 2021 Norwegian film The Trip. Why did you want to shoot the remake so soon after the original movie was released?
Jorma Taccone: I initially didn’t want to remake (The Trip), especially so soon after it was released. But the project came to me through my producer, Guy Danella. He had been working with Tommy Wirkola, the original movie’s director and co-writer, on Violent Night. Tommy was a fan of my work, quoting Hot Rod and Popstar, so Guy suggested we connect.
About a week later, Guy asked if I’d consider a remake. I said no at first, but he encouraged me to watch the film and read the script. Once I did, I loved it. It’s a very dark film, and in many ways our version stays close – some moments are nearly shot-for-shot.
What really pulled me in was its structure and tonal shifts – it feels like multiple movies in one. I couldn’t get it out of my head. I started thinking about what I could bring to it, and for me that was humor. The original is emotionally intense and the characters feel less redeemable. So I wanted to make them more sympathetic while preserving what made the original story work. Ultimately, I wanted to see if I could make something I loved just as much as the original.
Q: How did you approach adapting a dark European film for an American audience?
Jorma Taccone: I wasn’t trying to soften it for an American audience. I just approached it from my own sensibilities. The original is very dark and effective, but I’m drawn to characters who feel more sympathetic.
Our version is actually more violent and gorier in some ways, but emotionally I wanted the audience to root for the characters more. That’s just my preference as a storyteller. I wanted their relationship to feel real and worth investing in, even if they’re flawed people.
Q: Over Your Dead Body stars Jason Segel, Samara Weaving, Timothy Olyphant and Juliette Lewis. Were you thinking about casting the remake while watching the original film?
Jorma Taccone: It’s intimidating to remake something you love, especially when the acting in the original is so strong. Getting Jason was key – he became the center of everything. From there, we built outward.
I wanted a version that felt different tonally. The original is very dark, and I wanted something more emotionally accessible. Jason brings that. We even had conversations about how far we could push certain darker moments while still maintaining that balance. He understood that his established charm could help carry those scenes.
Q: How did you decide to specifically cast Jason and Samara as the main couple, Dan and Lisa, in the remake?
Jorma Taccone: Jason was the first person we cast, and everything built from there. Samara was the next key piece – they have great chemistry.
It was important that she used her natural Australian accent, which helped with improvisation and made the relationship feel more authentic. That authenticity was essential to the film.
Q: How did you tailor the script to the actors, particularly Jason and Samara?
Jorma Taccone: We had time to rehearse and collaborate, especially since we were all shooting in Finland together. The actors contributed their own experiences and perspectives, especially in emotional scenes. That made the relationships feel more real and grounded.
©Independent Film company
Q: What was the most technically difficult sequence to shoo during the production?
Jorma Taccone: The most difficult sequence was the window break leading into a chain of escalating violence. The challenge was maintaining continuity – lighting shifts from night to day, and the positioning of characters and objects had to make sense and the geography needed to stay clear.
We had to use visual effects to subtly adjust lighting. The movement of the gun throughout the scene had to feel logical. There were also stunt challenges – we were shooting in Finland where daylight is limited, and the terrain made certain planned shots impossible.
For example, we wanted a car to spin into the yard and hit someone, but the ground conditions made that impossible. We had to adapt on the day, which meant rethinking the stunt entirely. That kind of problem-solving is stressful but also one of the most exciting parts of filmmaking.
Q: Did you change any death sequences for your version of the story from the original movie?
Jorma Taccone: Most are similar, but one major difference is that a character who dies in the original reappears in our version. That change allowed for more comedic timing and surprise, which was important to me.
Q: Over Your Dead Body is an action-driven horror comedy. What’s the difference between the three genres in your filmmaking approach?
Jorma Taccone: They’re very similar in terms of timing and surprise. I’m always trying to stay slightly ahead of the audience. Whether it’s a scare, a joke or an action beat, the rhythm matters. Humor also helps make extreme moments more accessible – it can make violence or gore feel more palatable.
Q: What was the biggest tonal challenge while you were making the film?
Jorma Taccone: Balancing all the elements, including the drama, suspense, action and gore, into something cohesive. Humor was the glue that held everything together.
Q: Did you have any surprising moments while you were making Over Your Dead Body?
Jorma Taccone: Special effects artists have an incredible understanding of anatomy. Sometimes you see things in preparation materials that are shockingly realistic. It’s both impressive and unsettling. You don’t expect to receive emails full of extremely graphic references, but that’s part of the process.
©Independent Film company
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Here’s the trailer of the film.