Jason Bateman lauds emotional Ozark reunion with Laura Linney directing him in Black Rabbit: 'Pro...

&34;As we were thinking of directors to follow, she was first on my list,&34; Bateman says. Jason Bateman lauds emotional Ozark reunion with Laura Linney direct

"As we were thinking of directors to follow, she was first on my list," Bateman says.

Jason Bateman lauds emotional Ozark reunion with Laura Linney directing him in Black Rabbit: 'Proud of her'

"As we were thinking of directors to follow, she was first on my list," Bateman says.

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September 18, 2025 1:55 p.m. ET

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Laura Linney and Jason Bateman have 'Ozark' reunion on new TV show 'Black Rabbit'. Credit:

Tina Rowden/Netflix; Jason Mendez/Getty

- Jason Bateman requested that his *Ozark* costar Laura Linney direct two* Black Rabbit *episodes.

- "She thought about it for a couple of days and said yes," Bateman recalls.

- Jude Law says the cast felt an enormous amount of "respect when Laura Linney walks on set."

Jason Bateman and Laura Linney had a (literally) bloody good time on Netflix's brutal, beloved crime drama *Ozark* — enough so that Bateman tells ** he personally requested Linney to join him to direct *Black Rabbit*, his latest TV venture with the streaming giant.

Their mini *Ozark* reunion came about on the set of the new thriller, in which Bateman stars as a recovering addict, Vince, who crash-lands back into the life of his brother, restauranteur Jake (Jude Law), only to become entangled in a violent escapade involving unpaid loans, backstabbing betrayal, and more amid the underbelly of New York City's nightlife scene.

"Yes, to all of it," producer-star Bateman tells EW when asked if he and Linney became nostalgic and emotional upon reuniting on set, with Linney directing episodes 3 and 4 of the eight-part miniseries.

Bateman calls Linney "incredibly gifted in so many areas," and recalls that he "finally talked her into [directing] an episode on *Ozark*, and it ended up being one of our best."

Laura Linney and Jason Bateman in 'Ozark' season 3.

"As we were thinking of directors to follow, she was first on my list. She also lives a couple of blocks from the studio where we were shooting. I was proud of her for saying yes," Bateman says. "After that first episode [directing] on *Ozark*, she was taken with how much work goes into doing a job like she really wanted to do. It would've been much easier for her to say no, especially since this was two episodes instead of one. She thought about it for a couple of days and said yes, thank God."

Bateman adds that "she's so talented in the way she can speak to actors, what they're thinking about, what they're trying to accomplish with their performance," while Law, who also produced the project, adds that he could palpably feel "the respect when Laura Linney walks on set" from the other actors in the show.

"She's got a wonderful, warm nature," observes Law. "She cajoles you gently with her insight."

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Adds Bateman: "The feeling on a set deserves more attention to be given to it, as a necessary component to good work. The person in the director's chair has a lot of effect over what that vibe is in establishing harmony. If everyone likes where they're working, you end up getting more from everybody in every department. She was a great addition to that."

Further, Bateman also courted another *Ozark* collaborator, the Emmy-nominated Ben Semanoff, to helm episodes 5 and 6 of *Black Rabbit*.

"We were lucky to be the recipient of that idea and relationships of Jason's," co-showrunner and co-writer Zach Baylin (who worked on the show with Kate Susman) tells EW of both Linney and Semanoff boarding the project at the request of Bateman. "Laura was such a get, both as a director and as a collaborator, talking through the scripts, getting to see her work with every actor.... We were grateful for Jason bringing them into the show."

Jason Bateman and Jude Law in 'Black Rabbit'.

Linney additionally attended the *Black Rabbit* premiere in New York City, where she posed for reunion photos with Bateman and the rest of the Netflix series' cast and crew.

***Sign up for **'s free daily newsletter* *to get breaking news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.***

*Black Rabbit* also stars a wealth of actors, ranging from Oscar-winning *CODA* star Troy Kotsur to *The Gilded Age*'s Morgan Spector, *The Last Man on Earth *alum Cleopatra Coleman, *Gangs of London*'s Sope Dirisu, *Bodies*' Amaka Okafor, and *Succession*'s Dagmara Domińczyk, among others.

Other directors for the series include Bateman (episodes 1-2) and *Assassin's Creed* director Justin Kurzel (episodes 7-8).

*Black Rabbit* is now streaming on Netflix.

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