- Notes provided by Miramax. -

In EXTRACT, writer/director Mike Judge ("Beavis and Butt-Head," "King of the Hill") returns to the fertile territory of the American workplace, rotating his perspective away from the white collar cubicle warriors of "Office Space" and towards a blue collar boss - a small business owner - who employs an odd cast of losers, loners and misfits in his flavor extract factory.
To the outside eye, Joel Reynold (Jason Bateman) seems to have everything. After all, being the owner of a business he built from the ground up -with its patented brand of culinary extracts -should make the "Extract King" a happy man.
However, if Joel hasn't reached his front door by 8 o'clock, he'll find his wife, Suzie (Kristen Wiig) cinching up her sweatpants - and about as interested in him as he is in her mastery of supermarket coupon design. Sexually frustrated, Joel confides in his best pal, Dean (Ben Affleck), a barkeep - and soon finds himself wrapped up in a convoluted scheme to make Suzie cheat on him first with a dim-witted gigolo (Dustin Milligan) - thereby allowing him to pursue beautiful new employee Cindy (Mila Kunis) with a clear conscience. Unbeknownst to Joel, the object of his affections is a con artist/sociopath -just one step away from having her parole revoked.
Meanwhile, Joel and his second-in-command, Brian (J.K. Simmons) have entered negotiations for a buyout of Reynold Extracts by General Mills. All they need to do is keep things tidy, quiet and moving while waiting for the final offer. Of course, this fails to take into account the employees on the factory floor: Step (Clifton Collins, Jr.), a machismo-ridden doofus and self-proclaimed "fastest sorter" with lofty aspirations of rising to Floor Manager; Rory (T.J. Miller), a goth-rock geek who spends more time passing out flyers for his band than shuffling extract bottles; and Mary (Beth Grant), a fanny-packed, bitter slouch at the end of the assembly line who'd rather fold her arms and shake her head than keep life at Reynold moving along - which is exactly what she's doing when a bottleneck occurs on the line, resulting in a chain of accidents that cost poor Step a portion of his manhood.
Seeing a big payday, the con-artist temp woos the otherwise-loyal Step, convincing him to sue for millions, engaging bus bench lawyer Joe Adler (KISS's Gene Simmons) to "fight for his rights" - regardless of the fact that doing so will cost Joel the factory.
With his dry wit and remarkable ear for character and dialogue, Mike Judge brings his trademark "flavor" to these seemingly disparate threads, tying them together into an antic comedy about life in the middle.
Miramax Films presents a 3 Arts Entertainment/Ternion Productions film by Mike Judge. EXTRACT stars Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Ben Affleck, Mila Kunis, J.K. Simmons, David Koechner, Clifton Collins, Jr., T.J. Miller, Beth Grant and Gene Simmons. The film is written and directed by Mike Judge, and is produced by John Altschuler and Michael Rotenberg, executive produced by Dave Krinsky, Tom Lassally and Glenn Lucas, and co-executive produced by Michael Flynn. Director of photography is Tim Suhrsted, and the production designer is Maher Ahmad. Visual Effects by Pixel Magic. Film editor is Julia Wong. Original music for the film composed by George S. Clinton. Distributed by Miramax Films.
Extract

About the Film
Ten years after the release of "Office Space," a bona fide cultural landmark, Mike Judge is still rankled by the memory of a studio executive explaining to him that "nobody wants to see your little movie about ordinary people and their boring lives." It was further explained that the movie was a huge failure, even though it made almost its entire budget back in its initial release. According to the studio, there was no problem with their confused release of the film on limited screens - instead it was all Mike Judge's fault for thinking that "Office Space" might connect with people that were stuck in a work world they hated, just as he was at one time.
Mike was already about 40 pages into his follow up script, set in the world of an extract factory, when he was convinced by his representative team that he needed to shelve that and concentrate on something more "commercial."
"The only idea that I had that anyone was interested in was what eventually became 'Idiocracy,'" says Judge. "Everyone said 'Oh, that's a commercial idea; it's high-concept. It's set in the future and everyone's stupid. That's a big, booming, commercial idea." The next several years were spent realizing his vision of a dysfunctional future -but by the time of the film's release, audiences had decided they, in fact, did want to see Judge's little movie about "boring people" -"Office Space" had struck a chord, becoming an enormous hit on basic cable and one of the most successful DVDs in history, quoted openly by fans who felt that someone was finally actually speaking for and to them.
"As we showed 'Idiocracy' to focus groups, they all said pretty much the same thing: 'Oh, it's funny, but we really wanted something more like 'Office Space,'" Judge recalls. "That film spoke to a generation in a way that few movies have," notes EXTRACT producer John Altschuler. "Nobody does this kind of material. It's all about the weirdness of real people in real life."
In response, Judge dusted off those early pages of EXTRACT and showed it to his "King of the Hill" partners, Altschuler and David Krinsky,. "Dave and I read it, and we were, like, 'This is vintage Mike Judge."
Seeking to keep their new project below the radar of the studio system, the three set up a production company, Ternion Productions, and arranged private financing -while partnering with Miramax for domestic distribution. "That gave us the independence to do exactly what we wanted," says Altschuler.
Meanwhile, Judge dug deeper into an industrial world he knew only too well: "I actually worked in a factory a little bit myself," the director recalls. "I worked as an engineer in a company that made bass and guitar amps. There's such a unique set of personalities in a factory setting. I just felt it would be a nice backdrop."
"Mike and I are both addicted to watching shows like 'Unwrapped' on the Food Network, where you're just watching chocolate bars being made," says John Altschuler. "He wanted to do a movie where the background was that industrial world that is slowly disappearing, where things are actually being made." Back home in Austin, Texas, Judge would regularly pass by the old Adams Extract plant. After finishing the script, he arranged for a factory visit and was happy to see it was as he imagined.
Assembling a cast for a Mike Judge project requires a group of actors who are able to tap into his specific blend of the real and surreal: "Mike wrote a script with incredibly vivid characters that are fun and funny without being jokey or stupid," says Altschuler. "The characters are smart, interesting, and complex. Fortunately, we were able to find great comedic actors who could find all of those qualities in their characters and bring them to life."
"I imagined very specifically who each character was, and I really worried whether I could get all these people," says Judge. "It wasn't going to be funny if the person didn't do it exactly right, and I feel like we've nailed each one in this film, down to the littlest speaking parts."
When writing EXTRACT, Judge initially didn't have any particular actor in mind for Joel Reynold - which changed when the director finally had the opportunity to catch up with Jason Bateman's work in "Arrested Development," on DVD. "I knew right away this guy would really be Joel Reynold. I could totally see it," Judge recalls.
Like a Texan Woody Allen, "Mike definitely focuses on who's going to play what characters," says actor Jason Bateman. "So intensely, in fact, that once he does decide, you know you're not there by accident. He wants exactly what you do, so you just do that. Joel's the classic protagonist that really doesn't affect much. Most things happen to him and around him." When Joel actually attempts to be pro-active in his relationship -using what Bateman classifies as "adult maneuvers" -the character's own innocence backfires. "It ends up having the opposite effect, sending him backwards."
"Jason is able to play an everyman," says John Altschuler. "In the way that Jimmy Stewart or Tom Hanks are -you can identify with him. He has the comedic ability to look around at this world and convey that insanity without making it feel stupid."
His co-stars often found Bateman's subtle delivery would send them over the top while acting together, resulting in multiple takes while they attempted to recover. "Jason makes me laugh a lot," says Kristen Wiig. "We had a couple of scenes where I ended up having laughing attacks, which scares me, because once I'm gone, I can't come back."
As Suzie Reynold, Wiig is the comic engine that drives much of the plot, requiring a measured performance, equal parts comic and tragic: "It could have become very dark, or it could have become very silly," says Altschuler. "What she was able to do was not lose the comedy. You don't feel like you've dropped into 'Scenes From a Marriage.' She kept it funny, kept the absurdity alive, but never once did you feel it wasn't incredibly real."
"She designs coupons, which I'm sure was her lifelong dream, and she's been married to Joel for a handful of years and things are getting a little stale," the actress explains. "I don't think I know what's going on for him at work, because I'm having an affair, and that takes up a lot of time. You don't really ask your husband about his work when you're sleeping around. You've got other things on your mind - like sleeping around."
Though Judge was familiar with Wiig mostly through a couple of Saturday Night Live Digital Shorts, it was her deft comic readings that made him realize how well she would pair with Bateman. "She's kind of a female Peter Sellers," the director notes. "She's one of those actors who can just do something a lot of different ways. One minute she looks like herself and the next she doesn't at all. It's an interesting quality."
Bateman is quick to praise the specificity of his co-stars performance: "Once she ties the drawstring on her sweatpants, it's kind of like hearing the jail doors close." He credits the comic actress for overcoming the limitations of her wardrobe: "We tried lighting her bad, we tried a baggy pair of sweatpants, a shrunken pair. No matter what we tried, it was impossible to make Kristen Wiig look bad."
The yin to Suzie's yang - the one that Joel turns to after one too many tied drawstrings -is his reprobate best friend, Dean, a bartender at Scoreboards. "Dean is actually kind of a dangerous friend to have," says Judge. "He can give you bad ideas earnestly and not mean any harm, but convince you that they're good ideas and innocently lead you down the wrong path with no accountability. And he's charming enough to pull it off. We've all known guys like that."
Dean's solutions to all problems involve a gently-suggested drug of the day - offers that are constantly rebuffed by Joel. The plot turns, when just to shut him up, Joel finally relents - taking "ecstasy" that turns out to be horse tranquilizer - and awakens the next morning to realize he has agreed to hire a gigolo to lure his wife into infidelity. "Dean believes that drugs can really solve people's problems, and that society is uptight," says Judge. "If everyone just did things his way, the world would be okay. Obviously, that's not true."
Getting an actor like Ben Affleck to return to the low-key rhythms of Texas style filmmaking (having received his first big break in Richard Linklater's "Dazed and Confused") turned out to be easier than anyone expected. Recalls Altschuler, "Mike explained to him about how there's this thing about these bartenders with, you know, this long, flowing Jesus hair, where they always seem to get women. Ben loved the idea and just ran with it."
Cindy, the object of Joel's lust is played by Mila Kunis, who describes her character as "a kleptomaniac, pathological liar. She's very manipulative, very conniving, very sweet and very naïve."
"Pretty girls live by a different set of rules than the rest of us," Judge explains. "Nobody ever suspects her of anything, so she's able to just get away with all kinds of stuff," including ripping off a guitar from two bumbling salesmen in a music store who stumble over themselves while trying to serve her. "I actually remember being in a music store once and seeing this really hot girl come in, and the dynamic of the whole place changed. I couldn't get anyone's attention."
Though she had played Jackie Burkhart for eight seasons on "That 70s Show," it wasn't until Judge saw Kunis alongside Jason Segel in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" that he knew he'd found his Cindy. "I just thought, 'Wow, this girl's perfect.' And she really wanted to do it, which was fantastic." Says Kunis, "I'm a huge fan of Mike Judge's from 'Office Space,' so I was, like, 'Okay, this is a very easy decision.' I told them I would do anything needed to be in this production - like craft service, or, say, acting."
As a veteran of such dramatic films as "Capote", "Tigerland" and "Traffic" - actor Clifton Collins, Jr. felt fortunate to let his comic side out opposite such an able comedienne --"She's got a flawless sense of comedic timing that just comes out," says Collins. "She'll pretend it's not even there, but she's got such a hone on it. She's so quick with improv - it's just fun to throw the ball with her."
Collins plays Step, described in the script as "a short, beady-eyed, Charles-Manson-looking guy" who "makes everything he says sound as macho and important as possible." "Step thinks he's the fastest stacker around," says the actor. "Ain't nobody touch me. Can't nobody else do it. You can't just come out of school knowing how to do stacking boxes. They don't teach it in school.' Basically, Step ain't the sharpest pencil in the box," Collins admits.
On the line with Step is Rory, a bona fide indie rock geek with a face full of piercings and body covered in ink. "I'm sure it wasn't a progressive thing," says his alter ego, actor T.J. Miller, of Rory's tattoos. "He was, like, 'I finally have $800 - I'm getting eight tattoos.'"
While he can be coerced into doing his job running the forklift at Reynold Extracts, Rory's main ambition is his fledgling music career, heading one of his five unimpressive bands: God's Cock, Fight Head and Mistress of the Throat Biters among them. "Rory is a guy who is working at the factory until his grind core band takes off," says Miller.
Miller was more than excited to be part of a Mike Judge project. "I grew up watching 'Beavis and Butt-Head,' and my parents raised me trying to prevent me from watching 'Beavis and Butt-Head.' So Mike was a big part of my upbringing." Miller's fandom for Judge isn't lost on his director, the actor notes. "He won't make eye contact with me. He will with other people when he's really open, but not with me. I think I did too many 'Beavis and Butt-Head' impressions when I first met him."
At the end of the production line is Mary -played by Beth Grant. A "button-pusher" in more ways than one - she is responsible for starting and stopping the line.
"I believe Beth told me she had a job in a factory when she was younger, cutting the beaks off chickens so they wouldn't peck each other," notes Mike Judge. "She said there was a woman that worked there who was just like Mary. When she started doing that woman, I just said, 'Okay, that's perfect. Do the chicken beak lady.'"
Rounding out the workplace ensemble is Factory Supervisor Brian, brought to vivid life by omnipresent character actor J.K. Simmons. "J.K. Simmons was probably the last piece of the puzzle -where we just went 'thank god'," says John Altschuler. "Because this type of character -he loves the business, the company but he doesn't know anybody's name. Everybody's "Dinkus" or "What's-His-Name." That could come across as just jokey or insensitive - but J.K. can pull off that matter-of-fact 'business as usual' comedy like nobody else."
Perhaps no character in EXTRACT feels more like a signature Judge creation than the Reynold's neighbor, Nathan, a man who could challenge Milton from "Office Space" in the category of "singular focus".
"He's based on a female neighbor I had at one point who literally would just stop cars," Judge explains. "She would just plant herself in the window of your car and stay there and give you no choice but either be incredibly rude or listen to her for I don't know how long."
"Everyone knows a Nathan," says Altschuler. "Who hasn't driven around the block a few times waiting for a neighbor to go inside so you don't have to talk to them? It's the tyranny of that cheerfulness. That he's going to force himself into your life."
Nathan is played to soul-numbing perfection by SNL alum David Koechner - who brings his best to being the worst. "David is so talented as a comic actor," notes Jason Bateman. "He makes all of that really believable. Just when you think it's getting just too broad and too crazy and unbelievable, he keeps it all grounded. I think it's my favorite character in the movie."
The final complicating factor in Joel's life is Brad, the dull-headed gigolo Dean hires to seduce his wife. In a scenario right out of a seventies porn flick, he poses as the new pool guy, and finds his advances all too welcome.
Never one to get the point - any point - no matter how many times something is repeated, Brad, as described by his alter ego, actor Dustin Milligan, "is a total buffoon. He has no clue. In some scenes, you think he understands what's happening, and then the next line he delivers indicates, in fact, that he does not understand a damn thing."
Casting a stupid, good-looking guy in L.A. seemed an easy task, though the producers found that was not actually the case. "We thought that this town was full of these handsome, good looking dopey actor guys, but it's an incredibly difficult thing to actually pull off," recalls John Altschuler. They found their answer in Dustin Milligan of the CW's "90210" revamp. "What Dustin's able to bring to it is that he's a good looking guy, but he's vulnerable and has a puppy dog quality that makes something that could be very offensive palatable," something that was indeed Milligan's goal with the character. Says the actor, "He's an idiot, but there's a little bit of sensitivity there, which I think is a lot of fun to play. I didn't want him to be too over the top."
That quality was reserved for Joe Adler, the bus bench lawyer Cindy hires to hopefully sue the pants off Joel and ruin his company, played by Gene Simmons - yes, THAT Gene Simmons - the tongue-wagging devil of a bass player from heavy metal legends KISS.
"Everywhere I've lived, there's been some kind of local celebrity lawyer who just runs cheesy ads," says Judge. "He's on bus benches, he's on billboards." After hearing a message Simmons had left for his friend, director Robert Rodriguez, Judge thought, "He just sounded like he could be the head of a studio or a lawyer or something." Judge had, in fact, described Adler in the script as "someone who looks like Gene Simmons." "We read a bunch of people, and we had some good people, but we kept finding ourselves going, 'We're looking for somebody who's got that thing.' And we thought, 'Well, let's just have Gene Simmons."
"The phone rang, and on the other side was Mike Judge, who says, 'Hey, man, do you wanna be in my film?'" Simmons recalls. "I said yes.'"
Adler, like his alter ego - or vice versa - is belligerently certain of his abilities. "Mr. Adler is in somebody else's office telling everybody how brilliant he is," says Simmons. "How he's hit the jackpot, how the rest of them are assholes for not listening to him about bus benches. And, of course, when the people who actually own the conference room he's in come in, he treats them like guests in his house, which is the way it should be. I mean, this is Joe Adler's world - you're all just living in it."
Gene's fellow cast members were equally impressed with his portrayal. "If he weren't already a rock legend, then he probably would have been a surprisingly effective lawyer," states
T.J. Miller. "I think he would be just as larger-than-life. I'm sure he would have his own reality show, with amazing commercials for law. Can you imagine that? 'I'm Gene Simmons, and I'm gonna fight for your rights.' And maybe you put the number of the law firm on the tongue."
Jason Bateman quips, "Watch at awards time for Gene - you might see him in a tux next Spring," a prediction Simmons does not protest. "I know the character's gonna steal the movie -Joe Adler played by Gene Simmons," he pauses. "I knew I could do that role justice."
Across the board, what drew this cast together was the strength of the writing, of the humanity of the characters - and the accessibility of the situations they face:
"Mike writes characters that maybe you've seen before, dialogue that you've probably heard before, and he just tweaks it," explains Jason Bateman. "The comedy lies in the precise subtlety of who these characters are." Producer Altschuler agrees. "Mike sees how funny crazy and annoying people like neighbors are, as well as the conflicts in your life. He says what you just think and builds that into strong dramatic comedic moments."
"Most of these characters are played with enough eccentricities where they're comedic," notes Jason Bateman. "But not to the point where they are so weird that you don't know somebody like them. That's due largely to Mike's writing, and a little to us actors hopefully not screwing it up. You just have to go with it and don't wink - it's very serious crap and not funny to the characters in the movie. It's serious to them - and that's the comedy of it."
Clifton Collins compares this type of comedy to old-school style like that of veteran Sid Caesar. "It's not so much situational. In Mike's movies, it's really about the people and just their state of being and the way that they are. He's got such a humble, clear interpretation of what normal life is like. For those of us in Hollywood or New York, this way of living isn't familiar to us, or comes off a little funny, and, you know what? Life is funny."
In response, Judge simply states, "I hopefully write stuff that is recognizable as the archetypes of this world."
Keeping true to this baseline of reality, EXTRACT was shot in a working factory, in this case a water bottling plant south of Los Angeles, in the City of Commerce. "The guy who owns the place had all the machines and the infrastructure to make it look like an extract plant," marvels Jason Bateman. "Apparently it was the slow season for water bottling, so he let us shoot there for a couple of weeks." Only slight modifications to the factory floor were needed to augment the "office space" needed for required scenes.
"I wasn't interested in making the movie if I couldn't get the right location," says Judge. "You can't recreate a bottling factory on a soundstage. I feel like we really lucked out, because it was laid out exactly like I imagined it. In fact, from my tour of the extract factory a couple of years ago - I'm kind of proud of myself how many things I guessed at that are actually here."
Judge made sure to use the plant's employees as extras in the scenes' backgrounds. "Those people were actually running, doing some bottling while we were shooting. There were people working on machines that were so loud in there they couldn't hear anyone call 'action' or 'cut.' They were just doing their job." While complicating the production, the background activity actually helped the actors in their performances. "It's a working factory, so things are always moving," says Altschuler. "The actors feel it, Mike feels it. The energy of being in a real place just fills it out. The sound was awful, but it makes the factory like a character in the film."
Shooting on the factory "set" lead Judge to some epiphanies about what made the story resonate for him: "Office Space was told from the point of view of the employees looking up at management as the 'bad guys'. This is told from the point of view of the owner of the place and the workers are the big pain in the butt to him. I think partly it was inspired by that point in my life where I suddenly had a large number of people working for me and realizing you can't be a 'cool guy boss'. It just doesn't work. So this is my more sympathetic take on the boss."
As their "boss", Judge had plenty of enthusiastic fans among his cast. "Mike is very, very easy to work for, in that he just basically leaves you alone," states Jason Bateman. "He's a really sensitive director, something a lot of directors today lack," says Clifton Collins. "He's kind, he's present, he's always there for you, he's always on point, and he's a good judge of comedic timing."
Having a director who also wrote the script as well as producing, made things all the more enjoyable for the cast. "Because it's 'his' story, he's pictured it while he was writing it," says Kristin Wiig. "So he's able to bring that to life. He already has that vision, so you trust it more. It's his own interpretation of his own work."
"Mike is one of these rare entities," says John Altschuler. "He's truly creative, but he loves what other people bring to the table. He's not one of these 'dark princes of comedy,' all miserable and full of hate and anger. You can pitch him an idea, and there's no ego. He gives people credit for what they do."
Even Gene Simmons appreciated the absence of ego. "Mike Judge isn't one of these guys running around saying, 'Look, it's me - I also direct and I write and please pay attention to me.' He doesn't do that." Simmons holds Mike's opinion in high regard. "Mike Judge is not only Mike Judge, he's also the jury. There's also Mike Jury running around someplace, but those are semantics, and I'm not anti-semantic."
In the final analysis, Judge is clear that he hopes EXTRACT will resonate with audiences. "All the people in those focus groups of 'Idiocracy' that wanted another movie like 'Office Space' will be happy," he says. "When 'Office Space' tanked at the box office, I thought, 'Okay, I was born to do something that nobody wants to see,' and then as it became popular, it was more and more gratifying. So I think I'm finally back doing what I think I was born to do."
About the Cast
JASON BATEMAN
Actor, Producer and Director Jason Bateman was honored with a Golden Globe Award in 2004 for Best Actor in a Comedy Series and earned an Emmy Award nomination and two Screen Actor's Guild nominations for his irreverent portrayal of 'Michael Bluth' in the Mitch Hurwitz created, multi-award winning comedy series, Arrested Development. Since then, Bateman has attained "leading man" status on the big screen while returning to his roots in television by continuing to produce, write and develop projects for the small screen. One can easily surmise by the prestigious array of studios, directors and producers that are hiring Bateman that he is a valuable commodity.
While Bateman's starring role in the Emmy Award-winning FOX comedy series Arrested Development brought a newfound appreciation with the public, it also caught the attention of the motion picture industry and reinvigorated their interest in Bateman. Since the show ended in 2006, Bateman has secured one major film role after the next.
Bateman was last seen on the big screen delivering an emotionally charged performance as a political press agent in the crime drama State of Play directed by Kevin Macdonald for Universal Pictures.
Currently, Bateman is on location in New Mexico in production with Seth Rogen, Jane Lynch and Kristen Wigg on the Universal/ Working Title film Paul, directed by Superbad's Greg Mottola. Bateman most recently wrapped production in New York with Jennifer Aniston on the Mandate Pictures romantic comedy film The Baster where he plays the lead role. Prior to that he wrapped production on the Universal Pictures comedy Couples Retreat, starring alongside Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau and Kristen Bell, which will be released on October 9, 2009. He also filmed the Miramax feature, Extract directed by Mike Judge, which Bateman headlines and produced through his F+A Production banner. Extract co-stars Mila Kunis and is for release on September 4th. Bateman will also be seen in the Ricky Gervais penned and directed comedy, The Invention of Lying, as well as the George Clooney picture Up in the Air for Paramount Pictures and director, Jason Retiman, both due in theaters in either late 2009.
Bateman is also producing and starring in a film for Universal that is based on his own original idea called The Remarkable Fellows, which Joe Carnahan is writing and directing (Bateman partnered with Carnahan again after working together on the feature Smoking Aces for Universal in 2006). The film is an action comedy about two elite "revenge specialists" who are hired by the most powerful and wealthy people all over the world to exact revenge on those who have wronged them. The film will begin production in late Summer or Fall 2009.
On the small screen, Bateman secured a first-look production deal between his company F+A Productions to develop, direct and write original content for 20th Century Fox Television. The deal came to fruition after Bateman directed the comedy pilot for the network entitled Do Not Disturb that premiered on the 2008 Fall lineup. Bateman also reteamed with his "Arrested Development" creator, Mitch Hurwitz, to voice a character in the Fox animated comedy series, Sit Down, Shut Up. Upcoming in Summer 2009, Bateman will direct and produce the FX Network pilot called The Merger.
Last year, Bateman co-starred in the Peter Berg, action-film Hancock alongside Will Smith and Charlize Theron, which was one of the biggest box-office openings worldwide in 2008. Hancock came on the heels of one of the biggest success stories in independent filmmaking with Fox Searchlight's gem, Juno for which Bateman had a pivotal role as the potential, yet uncertain, adoptive father to 'Juno's' unborn child. Directed by Jason Reitman, the film was nominated in 2008 for Best Film by most major film critics' groups, as well as by the Hollywood Foreign Press and Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Also in 2007, Bateman co-starred opposite Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper and Jennifer Garner in the Universal Pictures drama The Kingdom, an action-thriller set in Saudi Arabia once again for director Peter Berg.
Prior to this, Bateman starred opposite Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman in the Fox/Mandate Pictures family fantasy film Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium for ingénue director and writer Zach Helm.
Bateman's other recent film roles include starring with Zach Braff and Amanda Peet in the Miramax comedy, The Ex, and a supporting role in The Break-Up again with Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston. Prior to that, he portrayed a loose-lipped sports commentator in 20th Century Fox's comedy Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story starring Vince Vaughn & Ben Stiller. Bateman also co-starred in the Warner Bros. film Starsky & Hutch, opposite Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. In 2002, he starred with Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate and Selma Blair in the romantic comedy, The Sweetest Thing.
Dating back to his adolescent and teenage years, Bateman's portrayal of the charming schemer Derek Taylor in Silver Spoons prompted NBC to create a spin-off, It's Your Move, starring Bateman. He then starred with Valerie Harper in her serial series, Valerie, Valerie's Family and The Hogan Family from 1986-1991 and prior to this, was a series regular on the iconic television series with Michael Landon that has become an American treasure, Little House on the Prairie.
Bateman currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Amanda Anka and their daughter, Francesca.
MILA KUNIS
Emerging as one of Hollywood's most sought after and engaging young actresses, Russian-born Mila Kunis has rapidly ascended into major television and motion picture roles.
Mila started her career in entertainment by landing several television commercials. Mila is best known for her roles on two of Fox's most successful shows: THAT 70's SHOW playing 'Jackie Burkhardt,' which earned her two Young Star Awards for best actress in a television series. Kunis is also the voice of 'Meg' on the hit Fox show FAMILY GUY. Her other TV credits include SEVENTH HEAVEN and NICK FRENO. Kunis also starred as the young 'Gia,' on HBO's critically acclaimed and award-winning film GIA.
Last year she starred in Judd Apatow's hit comedy, FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, where she played 'Rachel' opposite Jason Segel, Kirsten Bell, and Jonah Hill as well as starring in 20th Century Fox's, MAX PAYNE, opposite Mark Wahlberg.
Kunis' feature film credits include: AMERICAN PSYCHO II, GET OVER IT, KRIPPENDORF'S TRIBE, HONEY, WE SHRUNK OURSELVES, BOOT CAMP, TONY AND TINA'S WEDDING, AFTER SEX, TOM 51, SANTA WITH MUSCLES, and MAKE A WISH MOLLY.
Kunis will next be seen in the Miramax film EXTRACT along with Ben Affleck and Jason Bateman which will be out September 4th, 2009 and the Warner Brother's film THE BOOK OF ELI opposite Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman which will be out January 15th, 2010.
Mila has just finished filming Fox's upcoming comedic film DATE NIGHT with Ray Liotta, Mark Ruffalo, Tina Fey, and Steve Carrell. Kunis will be among the characters Fey and Carrell encounter as a couple on a date gone awry.
BEN AFFLECK
Ben Affleck received the 2007 Best Directorial Debut award from the National Board of Review for his directorial debut with Gone Baby Gone.
He first came to prominence in 1997 with the acclaimed "Good Will Hunting," which he starred in and co-wrote with Matt Damon. For their work, they won an Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay, as well as the Golden Globe Award and Humanitas Prize.
He has since starred in films including John Madden's Academy Award® winning "Shakespeare In Love," Michael Bay's "Pearl Harbor," Roger Michell's "Changing Lanes" and Kevin Smith's "Jersey Girl." Affleck was most recently seen in "State of Play" appearing along-side Russell Crowe; and as part of the ensemble cast of Warner Bros' "He's Just Not That Into You." Previous to that, he was seen in Joe Carnahan's stylish thriller "Smokin Aces" and in the critically acclaimed "Hollywoodland," in the role of George Reeves, for which he garnered numerous accolades including the Venice Film Festival's coveted Golden Lion Award for Best Actor in 2006 and a 2007 Golden Globe nomination. Affleck just completed filming "The Company Men," and is preparing to direct and act in "The Town".
Some of his additional film credits include Ben Younger's "Boiler Room," Richard Linklater's "Dazed and Confused," the screen adaptation of Marvel Comics' "Daredevil," "The Sum of All Fears," "Armageddon" and "Forces of Nature."
In addition to being a successful actor, writer and director, Ben is a longtime political activist and strong supporter of many charitable organizations ONEXONE, A-T Children's Project, Feeding America, the Jimmy Fund, and the ONE Campaign.
Ben is a passionate advocate who travels the world to gain a deeper understanding of the complexity of issues facing Africa today. In the last year alone he has made four separate trips to numerous countries on the African continent, with a focus on the Great Lakes region. Ben has focused on understanding the causes and consequences of conflict in Africa, along with learning specifically about African solutions to the problems affecting the Great Lakes region and Horn of Africa.
This past year Ben traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo where he directed the short film and public service announcement, 'Gimme Shelter', which focuses on the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In partnership with the UNHCR, this film is part of the international campaign to aid those displaced by violence.
KRISTEN WIIG
A comedic star of born from the "Saturday Night Live" stage, Kristen Wiig has become one of the most sought after talents in film and television today. Known for such memorable characters as the excitable Target Clerk, the hilarious one-upper Penelope, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Suze Orman, among others, Kristen will be returning for her fifth season of "Saturday Night Live" this coming fall.
Kristen made her big screen debut to universally high praise in Judd Apatow's smash-hit comedy "Knocked Up" as Katherine Heigl's passive-aggressive boss. She also played opposite John C. Reilly in Jake Kasdan's Walk Hard", another Apatow-produced film, and opposite Ricky Gervaise in David Keopp's "Ghost Town". Most recently, Kristen appeared opposite Ryan Reynolds in Greg Mottola's "Adventureland".
A native of Rochester, New York, Kristen worked as a Main Company Member of the Los Angeles-based improve/sketch comedy troupe "The Groundlings". She joins the ranks of SNL cast mates Maya Rudolph, Will Ferrell, Phil Hartman and Jon Lovitz, also Groundlings alumni.
Kristen's upcoming films include: Mike Judge's "Extract", co-starring Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck and Mila Kunis; "Whip It!", Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, with Ellen Page; and her first purely dramatic role opposite Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst and Frank Langella in Andrew Jarecki's "All Good Things".
Kristen lives in New York City.
CLIFTON COLLINS JR.
Nurturing an impressive body of work, Clifton Collins, Jr. is one of Hollywood's most versatile talents and his career continues to evolve with exciting and challenging projects. "Collins is mesmerizing..." and "Mr. Collins eloquent performance..." are just a few of the accolades he received for his portrayal of Perry Smith in the director Bennett Miller's Academy Award nominated film "Capote." Clifton was also received an Alma Award nomination for Best Actor.
Clifton's passion for the art of acting keeps him drawn to both studio and independent features. As one of Hollywood busiest actors, Clifton stars in a variety of films currently in theaters. Clifton stars alongside Amy Adams and Emily Blunt in the Sundance hit "Sunshine Cleaning." The film opened to the best per screen average of any film opening in 2009 and matches the per screen openings of films such as Little Miss Sunshine, Sideways, About Schmidt and The Wrestler. Clifton also stars alongside an all-star cast in the Summer Blockbuster "Star Trek," in which he plays the Romulan Ayel and in the action packed film "Crank 2: High Voltage." This fall he will be seen starring alongside Ben Affleck in the Miramax film "Extract" which is slated to be released in September and in the highly anticipated film "Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day." He recently wrapped production on "Freeloaders," the next film from the Broken Lizard comedy troupe and stars in the upcoming films "The Perfect Game." Based on a true story about a barefooted, rag-tag team of boys from poverty-stricken Monterrey, Mexico who defy extraordinary odds to become the first foreign team to win Little League World Series - doing so in a perfect game, the only one in championship history. You will also see Clifton in "Brothers" with Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman.
Clifton's other notable film credits include "Traffic" directed by Steven Soderbergh where Clifton played the unforgettable assassin 'Frankie Flowers' opposite Benecio Del Torro, "Rules of Attraction" directed by Roger Avary for Lion's Gate and "Tigerland" directed by Joel Schumacher. Even at the beginning of his career, Clifton found himself working with some of the town's bright young filmmakers including the Hughes Brothers' in "Menace to Society" and "Dead Presidents", John Singleton's "Poetic Justice", Kevin Reynolds' "187," Antoine Fuqua's "The Replacement Killers," "Still Waters" and the award-winning independent film, "Little Chenier."
No stranger to the small screen, Clifton received and Emmy nomination for his role in highly acclaimed miniseries "Thief" in which he starred alongside Andre Braugher. He has also recurred on some of primetime's highest rated shows including "24," "The Shield" and "Alias.
Clifton directed the video for Zac Brown Band's single "Chicken Fried," which debuted on CMT to rave reviews. The video was nominated for two CMT Awards (Group Video of The Year and USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year) and won the CMT USA Weekend Breakthrough Video of the Year award! It was awarded a Bronxe for over all Video and Editing at the Telly Awards. Clifton also directed the video for the Zac Brown Bands follow up single "Whatever It Is" which is currently #1 on CMT.
From an early age, Clifton Collins Jr. was encouraged to pursue his artistic talents by his actor-grandfather who allowed Clifton the opportunity to surround himself in the acting community. Born to a Mexican mother and a German father, Collins realized his diverse background coupled with strong intellect would provide for a unique quality rarely seen on screen.
Clifton currently resides in Los Angeles.
DUSTIN MILLIGAN
Dustin Milligan has become one of Hollywood's most sought-after actors. His natural talent and raw energy have quickly secured his place as one of Hollywood's young leading men.
Dustin can next be seen in the comedy Extract for director Mike Judge starring opposite Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck, Kristen Wiig and Mila Kunis. The film focuses on the owner of an Extract plant, who tries to contend with a myriad of personal and professional problems, such as his potentially unfaithful wife and employees who want to take advantage of him.
Dustin recently completed production on the comedy Western Gunless starring opposite Paul Gross and Seinna Guillory. The film focuses on a hardened American gunslinger who is repeatedly thwarted in his attempts to mount a showdown in a friendly town in Canada where no one seems to understand or appreciate the brutal code of the American Wild West.
Dustin will soon be seen in the European feature film, Eve starring opposite Vanessa Redgrave for director Adrian Popovici.
Dustin's past film credits include In The Land of Women starring opposite Meg Ryan and Adam Brody for Warner Bros, The Messengers opposite Kristen Stewart and directed by the Pang Bros for Columbia Pictures, The Butterfly Wheel opposite Pierce Bronson for Icon Entertainment as well as the sequel The Butterfly Effect II for New Line Cinema.
Dustin was previously seen on CW series "90210."
Dustin Milligan was born and spent much of his early life in the small northern town of Yellowknife, in the North West Territories which lie in the far north of Canada. Being a natural ham led him to the drama program in his highschool where he discovered his true love of acting and his desire to become a professional actor. As soon as he graduated he packed up his life and moved to Vancouver to pursue his dream. Since then he has not looked back. When not acting Dustin can usually be found on his skateboard or on the slopes with his sister Molly whom is a professional snowboarder.
J.K. SIMMONS
J.K. Simmons has appeared in diverse projects spanning motion pictures, television and stage performances on and off Broadway. He played J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's "Spider Man" trilogy. His motion picture credits include "Hidalgo," "The Ladykillers," "The Mexican," "Off The Map," "For Love of the Game," "The Gift," "Thank You for Smoking," "Rendition," "Burn After Reading" and, memorably, his portrayal of the off-beat but not deadbeat father, Mac McGuff, in the hit comedy "Juno."
Upcoming films include "Jennifer's Body," "The Vicious Kind, and "Way of War."On the small screen, Simmons plays LAPD Assistant Chief Will Pope in TNT's hit series "TheCloser." He also played Vern Schillinger on HBO's acclaimed drama "Oz," while playing arecurring role as Dr. Emil Skoda on NBC's "Law and Order."
Simmons has appeared on the Broadway stage in performances of "Guys and Dolls," "Laughter on the 23rd Floor", " A Change In The Heir", "Peter Pan" and "A Few Good Men."
DAVID KOECHNER
Actor, writer and producer DAVID KOECHNER grew up in Tipton, Missouri working for his father in the family's turkey coop manufacturing business. He studied political science at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas and then transferred to the University of Missouri. After college, Koechner moved to Chicago, where he studied improvisation at the IO (formerly the ImprovOlympic) with Del Close and Charna Halpern. He went on to become an ensemble member of Second City Northwest.
From there, he spent one season on the cast of Saturday Night Live before moving to Los Angeles, where he landed guest appearances on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Reno 911 and played a recurring character on Still Standing. He co-starred in indie films such as Dill Scallion, Wakin' Up in Reno, Dropping Out, and Run Ronnie Run, while turning solid performances in studio comedies such as Out Cold, My Boss' Daughter and A Guy Thing. Concurrently, Koechner, along with Dave "Gruber" Allen, developed and performed The Naked Trucker & T-Bones Show on stage at Club Largo in Los Angeles. The show later became a Comedy Central series.
His first major film break came when he was cast as Champ Kind in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Since then, David has been seen in a variety of studio and independent films such as Daltry Calhoun and The Dukes of Hazzard with Johnny Knoxville, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Waiting, Let's Go to Prison, Snakes on a Plane, the animated feature Barnyard, the family film Yours, Mine and Ours,, the critically acclaimed Thank You for Smoking, opposite Aaron Eckhart and Maria Bello, and Semi-Pro.
David can also be spotted in cameo roles in 40 Year Old Virgin, Balls of Fury, and Reno 911!, Miami. He continues to play the recurring character Todd Packer on NBC's The Office as well. He recently starred in the Fox Atomic comedy The Comebacks and can next be seen in the upcoming features Get Smart and The Goods: The Story of Don Ready. He is set to begin filming the comedy Tenure alongside Luke Wilson in April. David will be co-starring with Kelsey Grammer this fall on the ABC sitcom HANK.
He currently resides in Los Angeles, CA with his wife and four children.
About the Filmmakers
MIKE JUDGE (Writer / Director)
Mike Judge had considered animating a hobby while he worked as a bass player for Texas musicians like Anson Funderburgh and Doyle Bramhall, but when MTV picked up his 1992 short film, Frog Baseball, animation history was made. Judge was born in 1962 in Ecuador but raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico and attended the University of California at San Diego. Judge had already earned a physics degree, worked as an engineer and been a professional musician when MTV featured his animated shorts on its show, Liquid Television. One of these short films, "Frog Baseball," hit a grand slam, and the network simultaneously decided to spin off Beavis and Butt-head into a show of its own, making him the premier animator of the 1990s. The creation of these two teenage icons led to his next equally successful project, Fox TV's King of the Hill.
Judge expanded his artistic endeavors into directing live-action films such as 1999's Office Space featuring Jennifer Aniston and the underrated Idiocracy with Luke Wilson, doing voices for South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut and acting in Robert Rodriguez' Spy Kids series. Writer, actor, producer, director, composer, animator, musician... Mike Judge is many things but nothing beats making it okay for grownups to hold their hands and proclaim, "I am Cornhollo!"
MICHAEL ROTENBERG (Producer)
Michael Rotenberg, manager, producer and partner at 3 Arts Entertainment, plays an integral role in the development and production of both television and film properties, as well as shepherding the careers of some of today's most talented performers, writers and directors.
Born and raised in Toronto, Rotenberg attended the University of Toronto and York University where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree. He received his JD/LLB degree from the University of Windsor in 1981 and was admitted to the California Bar in 1982 and the Ontario, Canada Bar in 1983. Moving to Los Angeles in 1983, Rotenberg worked in legal affairs for Film Packages, Inc. and was Vice President of Business Affairs for The Samuel Goldwyn Company. Rotenberg went into private practice at Loeb and Loeb from 1987-1989 and then was Of Counsel at Gipson, Hoffman and Pancione for two years. In 1991 Rotenberg co-founded 3 Arts Entertainment, a management and production company which represents talent and has branched into the production of motion pictures and television.
Rotenberg has produced feature films such as: OFFICE SPACE; HEAD OF STATE; DOWN TO EARTH; SON-IN-LAW; BEVERLY HILLS NINJA, ENCINO MAN, MAN ABOUT TOWN, and REIGN OVER ME. He is currently producing Mike Judge's next movie, EXTRACT (scheduled to release September 4, 2009).
In television, Rotenberg, a multiple Emmy-Award winner is currently executive producing KING OF THE HILL (FOX), EVERYBODY HATES CHRIS (CW), HOWIE DO IT (NBC), THE GOODE FAMILY (ABC) and IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA (FX). His credits include the Emmy Award-winning, THE CHRIS ROCK SHOW (HBO), the Emmy nominated series THE MIND OF THE MARRIED MAN (HBO), WEEKENDS AT THE D.L. (Comedy Central), THE HUGHLEYS (ABC/UPN) and THE HOWIE MANDEL SHOW for syndication. He also produced Emmy and Ace Award-winning comedy specials such as Chris Rock's BRING THE PAIN, BIGGER AND BLACKER and NEVER SCARED; Howie Mandel's HOORAY FOR HOWIEWOOD; Dave Chapelle's KILLIN' THEM SOFTLY; and D.L. Hughley's GOING HOME.
Over the past several years, 3 Arts Entertainment has produced such features as: THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, STREET KINGS, I AM LEGEND, THE MATRIX; AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME; SWEET NOVEMBER; THE REPLACEMENTS; THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE and HARDBALL. Also, 3 Arts produces television series such as THE OFFICE (NBC), PARKS AND RECREATION (NBC), 30 ROCK (NBC), and THE STARTER WIFE (USA). Rotenberg has also served as a part-time faculty member in The Peter Stark Producing Program offered at the University of Southern California. The program, a two-year course leading to a Master of Fine Arts degree, prepares a select group of students for careers as independent film and television producers or executives. Michael is married to Shannon Mabrey Rotenberg and they have two sons, Luke and Colt. Shannon, formerly a program director in Creative Artists Agency's philanthropic division, currently oversees a philanthropic foundation. Michael is the president of the entertainment division of The American Jewish Federation and is on the executive boards for Hollygrove Orphanage, Teach for America, and One Voice.
Michael and his family reside in Bel-Air.
JOHN ALTSCHULER (Producer)
John Altschuler grew up in Carbondale, Illinois and then Greenville, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill where he co-created the first student produced comedy show on UNC Student Television. He then wrote for the now defunct humor magazine National Lampoon before moving to Hollywood to spend a few glorious years as a production assistant (errand boy) on various movies and commercials. His first professional job was on the World Wide Pants produced "The High Life" series for HBO before moving on to "King of the Hill" for 13 years. He has been the Executive Producer/Show Runner for the last 8 years.
Additionally, he created the animated sitcom "The Goode Family" with his writing partner Dave Krinsky and Mike Judge airing now on ABC.
In Features he co-wrote "Blades of Glory" starring Will Ferrell and is independently producing Mike Judge's new movie, "Extract" starring Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, and Ben Affleck. He is also producing the Napoleonic War comedy, "The Adventures of Brigadier Gerard" from his script based on the short stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He has received several Emmy nominations and has won an Environmental Media Award.
TIM SUHRSTEDT (Director of Photography)
While Tim Suhrstedt is still enjoying the success of Little Miss Sunshine, his most current credits include The Marc Pease Experience starring Ben Stiller for director Todd Louiso and Producer Michael London, All About Steve starring Sandra Bullock, Seventeen for director Burr Steers, This Side of Truth starring Ricky Gervais and Jennifer Garner, and most recently re-teaming with Director Mike Judge on Extract starring Jason Bateman and Billy Bob Thorton.
Tim's wide range of films vary from big budget studio films like The Wedding Singer, Clockstoppers and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, to critically acclaimed independents like Office Space, Mystic Pizza, Relative Strangers, Pumpkin and Noises Off.
Tim's experience on the small screen has been very rewarding too. Shooting pilots has allowed Tim to create the entire look for hit shows like Close to Home, The L Word, and Chicago Hope, which garnered Tim a Best Cinematography Award at the Emmy Awards as well as a nomination for Best Cinematography from his peers at the ASC Awards that same year. Tim also shot director John Dahl's pilot for TNT, The Line-Up.