Mike Judge’s Extract, starring Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig, Ben Affleck, and J.K. Simmons finds the man who wrote and directed Office Space and Beavis & Butthead Do America back in the world of hard work and immense stupidity. Soft-spoken, smiling, and very friendly, Mike Judge is just as cool as fans of his would think he is in person and his new film is arguably his best. The very talented writer/director sat down with us recently in Chicago to talk about his latest film, his most beloved characters, and exactly what it is that makes Jason Bateman so special.

MovieRetriever: What was the origin of Extract? Is it true that this was going to be your post Office Space film?

MIKE JUDGE: I thought about doing something that was sympathetic to the boss. I enjoy the making of something, steering the ship and seeing it through, but I don't get off on the management part of it. So, to me, the managers in Office Space were the kind of people who just enjoy telling people what to do. And, you know, when you try to be a nice boss, you can get taken advantage of. I also wanted to do something with a blue-collar setting because I think that world has its own unique set of characters in the same way that cubicles do.

I'd actually talked about the idea right after Office Space and Fox had another option for a screenplay. My agents and managers thought it would be too like Office Space. At that point it hadn't come out. Then by the time Idiocracy came out ... that was one where the studio was going "That's commercial," and the focus groups said "We liked it but we wanted something more like Office Space." (Laughs.)

MovieRetriever: Do you think you identify more with one or the other settings? Would you rather work in a cubicle or on a factory floor?

JUDGE: Probably the factory floor. As long as the money ... actually, I'd take a little bit less to work on a factory floor. (Laughs.) I had an office job where I had to alphabetize purchase orders and I couldn't shut it off. I'd see it in my sleep.

MovieRetriever: After the experience of Idiocracy is it hard to get back in the director's chair again? Do you worry another film might be mishandled again?

JUDGE: Well, that part of it ... if I can get a movie to where it's at least 80% of where I wanted it to be ... that's what I do and that's my job and distributing it is someone's else's job and they wanted it and they paid for it. They do what they want to do and that's fine. And, also, especially after Office Space did find its audience eventually. I think nowadays that if people really like something, they'll find it and they'll tell people about it. I didn't worry about that part too much. What did scare me is that I knew that I didn't want to do something again where I didn't have complete control. It just makes people nervous when you get above a certain budget level. I wouldn't put myself in that situation again. I ended up pretty much having control over Idiocracy but I had to fight hard battles for everything even if I won all the battles.

The thing that saves me is usually the focus groups. We had a real hard battle with the gangsta rap music in Office Space. I won't mention any names … I finally went out on a limb and told the high-ups that if ANYONE in the focus groups doesn't like it, I'll take it out. And they tried. People would be like, "We loved it." And they would say, "Well, what about the RAP?" "Oh, it was great." They would not give up. "But maybe there was TOO much?" Nodding her head and no one would nod with her.

MovieRetriever: Do you ever go back and watch your own movies or shows and think there's anything you'd change?

JUDGE: Office Space I hadn't seen since it came out and they had this ten-year anniversary in Austin that was really great and I watched a half-hour of it from the beginning and I was actually like, "Hey, this is pretty good." Nothing in there and nothing in the Beavis and Butthead movie. There are episodes of the show ... we just cranked that thing out and no one knew what they were doing and sometimes it was just a train wreck. Some are just great and then there are some episodes where I just think, I wish I hadn't done that. Little things like that. Not so much in the movie.

MovieRetriever: Why was there never another Beavis & Butthead movie?

JUDGE: There are different reasons. I don't know. I don't know if it will happen again. There's nothing in the works right now. Somebody always seems to announce it and there's not really anything happening. Originally, it was ... I think we made that movie faster than anyone has ever made an animated movie. We made it inside of a year. (Pauses.) I've got different ideas. I guess it takes ... to really do it right, it's going to take a few years.

MovieRetriever: So, what's your gut tell you? Without holding you to it, will it happen again?

JUDGE: I like to leave the door open, but it seems like every time I do that someone announces it as happening. Right after the movie, I said, "No way I'm ever doing that again. Screw these people." But then I end up missing the characters. When I was writing Idiocracy, the guy I was writing it with, Etan Cohen, and I kept coming up with ideas. I wanted them to just randomly end up working tech support. You have a computer problem and you end up getting Butthead. (Laughs.)

MovieRetriever: I think I have.

JUDGE: Me too. Or something like that. Etan was buying a car at the time and we would talk about the tactics that car salesmen used and how Beavis and Butthead would be funny in that world. We could see how all those tactics would play on them. I also had an idea that was probably too quickly after September 11th where they would get involved with some group the government was looking for. The promise of 70 virgins would motivate them ... the CIA would be after them ... (Laughs.)

MovieRetriever: I miss Beavis and Butthead.

JUDGE: I do too.

MovieRetriever: Are you going to miss King of the Hill?

JUDGE: Probably. I thought it was done ...

MovieRetriever: You've kind of been over that with all the near-cancellations ...

JUDGE: Yeah. I'll wait until it's completely done ...

MovieRetriever: Well, it is, isn't it?

JUDGE: Yeah. This will be the first time ... September 13th is when the last one airs and it will be the first time since 1992 that I haven't had something on the air. See what it's like. Might be kind of nice for awhile.

MovieRetriever: I think the cast of Extract is perfect. Speak a little bit about what Bateman brings to the part that other actors wouldn't.

JUDGE: I started writing it a long time and then sometime after that ... I guess it's what I love about Bob Newhart in particular – Jason has that thing where it's fun to watch him react to things. Jason can also be a great character actor but, seeing him in Arrested Development, it's fun to watch him react. He's good at letting other people be funny without getting so over-the-top. That's part of the problem. I found that when I was looking for actors in Office Space ... Jason Bateman has that thing where ridiculous things are happening around him, he reacts in a way that's appropriate and doesn't make the whole thing seem ridiculous. He's also been doing this since he was five or something. I'm 46. I'm older than him but he's been doing it WAY longer than me. He's completely comfortable being an actor and being on-set. So you can get these inspired moments out of him just being in the scene.

MovieRetriever: Do you allow them to improvise?

JUDGE: Yeah, I don't end up using a whole lot of it but it's good to let them feel that they can and let them be comfortable. When it's not out of left field and when it's on point. He and Ben [Affleck] came up with some great stuff.

MovieRetriever: Why are you so interested in the human capacity for stupidity and bad decision making?

JUDGE: I find it fascinating. Smart people can make really bad decisions.

MovieRetriever: Well, that's kind of what I took away from Extract thematically.

JUDGE: Yeah. He's fully capable. He can run a factory and be smart but when it comes to his personal life.... And Ben's character, he's one of those guys who can make a really bad idea sound good. You know the kind who lead you down a path and then later go, "Oh, no, that was a really bad idea." Full authority about something and then go, "Oh, did I say that?"

MovieRetriever: Would you direct someone else's screenplay?

JUDGE: I think I would. But I guess a lot of what I like is the writing part of it but I would do that.

MovieRetriever: What about the other way? If you wrote something you really liked could you hand it off to somebody?

JUDGE: I would love to do that. I would love to hand it off to someone to direct and then I could come back and edit. Casting is awesome when you find the right person but going through all the people that aren't right ... to me, it's emotionally draining. It's like going on bad dates. It's so loaded and it's all day long. Although shooting is fun sometimes. It's just 16-hour days. I would consider both of those, actually.