In ‘Nobody 2,’ suburban dad/assassin Hutch Mansell realizes his violent profession has pulled him away from his family in disappointing ways. For the same reason, he decides to find a point of reconnection by taking Becca, the kids, and his father, David, on a vacation. However, instead of any classic holiday spots, he chooses Plummerville as their destination. The tourist town in the heart of America has many attractions, including a waterpark, carnivals, and more.
Yet, below the surface, it also harbors a deeper secret, one which involves underground drug operations and a crime syndicate’s insidious usage of the town’s backroads and affinity for corruption. When Hutch and his family cross paths with the wrong guys, namely Sheriff Abel and Wyatt Martin, their vacation soon turns into something vicious. Thus, the town of Plummerville becomes a crucial storytelling tool in the sequel.
Plummerville is Inspired by Bob Odenkirk’s Experience at Wisconsin Dells
Although Plummerville is not a real city, the place is inspired by a real-life location in southern Wisconsin. Initially, during the early development process of the project, the Mansell family was set to vacation in Italy rather than a tourist town in the Midwest. However, lead actor and producer Bob Odenkirk came to the conclusion that the European location wouldn’t suit his American suburban-dad character. As a result, Italy was swapped out for Plummerville, a fictitious town inspired by the actual city of Wisconsin Dells.
The latter is a real Midwest city in Wisconsin, which is known as The Waterpark Capital of the World. However, the Wisconsin Dells that inspired Plummerville painted a much different picture. Instead, Plummerville took direct inspiration from Wisconsin Dells as it stood in the 70s, when Odenkirk vacationed there with his family twice in his earlier years. The actor spoke about his personal connection to the real-life town in a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter.
Odenkirk said, “The family I grew up in, we went on two vacations in my life. There were seven kids in my family, and we didn’t have enough money to go to Hawaii or Disneyland. So we went to the Wisconsin Dells in a station wagon, and the kids were in the back, sweating and complaining. Of course, the Dells was not as impressive as it is now.” The actor’s character, Hutch, channels the same energy of nostalgia and reminiscence when he takes his family on a vacation to Plummerville, a tourist town he once visited as a kid with David and Harry.
Yet, the town doesn’t turn out to be as glamorous and fun as remembered in the assassin’s childhood memories. Furthermore, alongside a thematic basis, the town of Plummerville also takes its visual cues from Wisconsin Dells. The filming for the project took place in Canada’s Winnipeg, Manitoba, instead of the Midwest town it takes its central inspiration from. Likewise, the local Lilac Resort area became the physical location for Plummerville’s water park, which becomes the backdrop to the climactic fight sequence. Even so, Michael Diner, the production designer, maintained a connection to Wisconsin Dells in creating the on-screen fictitious town.
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