Jorma Taccone & 'Over Your Dead Body' Team Discuss Tonal Balance in English Remake of 'The Trip'

The director and writers talk about threading the needle between suspense, drama, and action in the new version of the Norwegian film.

Mar. 15, 2026 at 6:41pm

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Director Jorma Taccone, writers Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney, and actors Paul Guilfoyle and Keith Jardine sat down at the Deadline Studio at SXSW to discuss the challenges of adapting the Norwegian film 'The Trip' into an English-language version titled 'Over Your Dead Body'. Taccone spoke about maintaining the 'teeth' of the original while bringing his own comedic sensibilities, while the writers shared memorable moments from the set, including a stunt that required multiple takes of an actor being hit by a car.

Why it matters

This English-language remake of the 2021 Norwegian film 'The Trip' represents an opportunity for director Jorma Taccone to showcase his talents in a different genre, moving beyond his previous work in out-and-out comedies. The film's ability to balance various tones, from suspense to drama to action, will be a key factor in determining its success with audiences.

The details

In 'Over Your Dead Body', a miserable couple, Dan (Jason Segel) and Lisa (Samara Weaving), retreat to a remote cabin with secret plans to murder each other. Their carefully plotted traps and counterplots quickly unravel when a dangerous crew crashes the weekend with plans of their own, leading to chaotic carnage. Taccone, known for his work on comedies like 'MacGruber' and 'Popstar', said the film's ability to shift between different tones was a key challenge, describing it as 'a lot of needles to thread'.

  • The film premiered on Saturday, March 14 at the Paramount Theatre during the 2026 SXSW Film Festival.
  • Over Your Dead Body is set to be released by Independent Film Company on April 24, 2026.

The players

Jorma Taccone

The director of 'Over Your Dead Body' and a multi-hyphenate known for his work on comedies like 'MacGruber' and 'Popstar'.

Nick Kocher

One of the screenwriters for 'Over Your Dead Body'.

Brian McElhaney

One of the screenwriters for 'Over Your Dead Body'.

Paul Guilfoyle

An actor in 'Over Your Dead Body'.

Keith Jardine

An actor in 'Over Your Dead Body'.

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What they’re saying

“This movie is so many different tones, and I've been saying that it's a lot of needles to thread. Basically, it's almost like a suspense drama in the beginning, and then it becomes a home invasion movie, and then it becomes an action movie. So it's a lot of different tones to hit...For me, it was just like, could I direct something, loving the original movie, that I liked as much as the original?”

— Jorma Taccone, Director (Deadline)

“When we first showed up on set, they were filming one of the final scenes, and seeing Jason Segel in the bloody makeup was [incredible] because it looked like they had killed Jason Segel. I was like, 'Whoever's done this makeup is incredible.'”

— Nick Kocher, Screenwriter (Deadline)

“In any movie, there's going to be some glitch that's going to happen on the day. We had a stunt that was going to be a car whipping into somebody, and it wasn't working because I'd chosen a car where the spoiler was so low it was getting ripped off as it was trying to do the skid. So instead of that, on the day, we had to be like, 'Hey, do you mind getting hit frontal on a car?' It was going to be all CG, and then [our stunt guy] had to get hit seven times, I think. And you're like, 'Hey...Sorry, buddy!' But that's filmmaking.”

— Jorma Taccone, Director (Deadline)

What’s next

Over Your Dead Body is set to be released by Independent Film Company on April 24, 2026, giving audiences a chance to see Jorma Taccone's take on the dark comedy thriller.

The takeaway

Taccone and his team have taken on the challenge of adapting a Norwegian film for an American audience, aiming to maintain the original's 'teeth' while infusing it with their own unique comedic sensibilities. The film's ability to balance multiple tones will be a key factor in determining its success with critics and audiences.