Jason Bateman has become a fixture in the world of dark comedy and crime drama, but even he couldn’t have predicted the wild turns his recent projects would take. In a week filled with revelations and nostalgia, the actor and director opened up about both a never-realized “Arrested Development” movie and the gritty new Netflix series “Black Rabbit,” which he stars in and helped bring to life. Together, these stories paint a vivid portrait not just of Bateman’s range, but of how the entertainment industry loves to blur the lines between fiction and reality.
On September 18, 2025, Bateman made headlines with a surprise disclosure on the popular YouTube show “Hot Ones.” According to TheWrap, he revealed that none other than Dr. Phil McGraw was once tapped to play George Sr. in a proposed “Arrested Development” sequel movie. For fans of the original series, which ran from 2003 to 2006 on Fox before being revived by Netflix for two additional seasons, this was a jaw-dropping tidbit. Dr. Phil, the television psychologist known for his blunt advice, would have stepped into the shoes of Jeffrey Tambor’s Emmy-winning patriarch. The concept alone is enough to make any fan do a double take.
But the surprises didn’t end there. Bateman went on to share that Will Ferrell was in talks to play Job, the bumbling magician made famous by Will Arnett, while Jonah Hill was considered for Michael Cera’s role. In a particularly meta twist, Matt Damon had even pitched himself to play Bateman’s own character, Michael Bluth. “We certainly couldn’t play ourselves, because we’re not actors,” Bateman joked, as reported by TheWrap, describing a movie-within-a-movie premise where Hollywood producers cast big-name stars to portray the dysfunctional Bluth family. David Cross, who played Tobias in the original, was the only original cast member Bateman insisted would reprise his role, since, as Bateman quipped, “he was an actor.”
As Bateman recounted on Conan O’Brien’s podcast earlier this year, the idea was that Bateman’s Michael would watch Matt Damon play him on set and be “so excited.” The film, it seems, would have been a playful jab at Hollywood’s obsession with reboots and celebrity stunt casting. Yet, as Bateman admitted, the project never got off the ground. Still, the mere thought of Dr. Phil and Will Ferrell inhabiting the Bluth universe is enough to leave fans both amused and wistful about what might have been.
While the “Arrested Development” movie remains a tantalizing what-if, Bateman’s creative energies have hardly gone to waste. On September 19, 2025, Entertainment Weekly highlighted his latest venture, “Black Rabbit,” a Netflix miniseries that plunges viewers into the crime-ridden underbelly of New York City’s nightlife. Here, Bateman teams up with Jude Law, and together they don the personas of estranged brothers Vince and Jake Friedkin—a pairing that, as it turns out, was always part of the creators’ vision.
“When we first talked about the project with Jude, he was always Jake to us,” co-creator Kate Susman told TheWrap, noting Law’s deep familiarity with the New York haunts that inspired the show. Bateman, on the other hand, was cast as Vince, described by Susman as an “unhinged wild card.” The role gave Bateman a rare chance to play against type, moving away from the beleaguered straight man he perfected in “Arrested Development.”
Bateman’s involvement didn’t stop at acting. He directed the first two episodes, setting the tone for a series that’s as visually striking as it is emotionally raw. The show’s creators, Zach Baylin and Susman, were initially nervous about whether Bateman would embrace Vince’s darker side. But, as Susman recalled, “He immediately was like, ‘No, dig in. Make him dirty. Take it there.’” The gamble paid off. Baylin noted, “Jason is so likable as a person that Vince gets away with a lot more than he would because it’s Jason.”
The heart of “Black Rabbit” is the turbulent relationship between Jake, a hustling restaurant owner on the verge of making it big, and Vince, his estranged brother whose return spells disaster. Their story culminates in a finale that’s as shocking as it is inevitable. As TheWrap detailed, Vince—haunted by his past and the criminal enterprise led by Oscar winner Troy Kotsur—ultimately sacrifices himself by jumping off the restaurant’s roof. “That was always the intention,” Baylin explained, emphasizing the sense of inevitability that pervades Vince’s arc. Susman added, “Vince was a much darker character on the page. When we started rehearsals with Jason, we realized that he can’t help himself but be witty and charming.”
The aftermath is quietly devastating. Jake, having lost both his brother and the restaurant they built together, leaves his penthouse behind and starts anew as a bartender. “A lot of the show is about ambition and the ambition of being a New Yorker,” Susman reflected. The series doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of city life or the emotional toll of family burdens. Yet, in its closing moments, there’s a glimmer of hope—a sense that Jake, stripped of his former ambitions, might finally find peace in a simpler life.
“Black Rabbit” isn’t all doom and gloom, though. In a delightful detour, Bateman and Law transformed into a ‘90s punk band—the Black Rabbits—for a black-and-white music video that appears in episode two. Bateman directed the sequence, which was shot on 16mm film and features Law belting out a song penned by The Strokes’ guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr. The shoot was largely improvised, with Bateman aiming for a “run-and-gun” style reminiscent of old-school music videos. “The rabbit heads, Jude climbing on a cage, all of that stuff I wanted to find haphazardly, like I assume videos were shot back in the day,” Bateman told Entertainment Weekly. Law, meanwhile, embraced the chance to play rock star, working closely with Hammond, Jr., who contributed two original songs and even made a cameo in the series.
“He said, ‘How many songs do you want?’ And it’s like, ‘One? Two?’” Law recalled with a laugh. The collaboration yielded both a high-energy video and a more emotional track that underscores a key moment between the brothers. For the cast and crew, the music video shoot provided a much-needed release from the show’s heavier themes. “Goofing around, doing a punk-rock video, lo-fi was a great way to go out,” Law said.
As “Black Rabbit” streams on Netflix and Bateman’s stories continue to ripple through pop culture, it’s clear that his willingness to take risks—whether casting Dr. Phil as a Bluth or diving deep into the shadows of New York—keeps audiences guessing and coming back for more. Sometimes, the best stories are the ones that never quite make it to the screen, but the ones that do can leave a mark that’s impossible to shake.
