Mike Judge’s name is cemented in TV history thanks to Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill. But despite their hysterical awesomeness, the writer-director’s two human-filled efforts, 1999’s Office Space and 2006’s Idiocracy, were box office busts. His latest, Extract, with Jason Bateman as a factory owner experiencing a midlife crisis thanks to Mila Kunis, just might snap his bad luck streak. Why?

Because execs haven’t effed this one up. “I started writing Extract before Idiocracy, with Office Space still in mind. But believe it or not, the studio executives said I should make Idiocracy first because ‘that’s a big commercial movie.’ Then, at the first test screening, the focus group says, ‘It’s pretty funny, but we were hoping for something more like Office Space.’ ”

Because people are smarter now. “Over the years, with Office Space becoming more and more popular, people have always told me I should make another film like that one. This movie is largely meant for those people.”

Because Judge is smarter now. “We got half the financing independently. I’ve had bad experiences being on a big studio’s plantation. For this one we decided we’d stay in control.”

Because Extract, in its way, is an extension of Arrested Development. “I rewrote the script with only Jason Bateman in mind. I was looking for a young Bob Newhart—somebody who is really good at reacting. In Arrested Development, he was great at holding it down and letting everybody else be funny. That’s what Extract’s leading man needed.”

Because, frankly, Judge deserves a hit. “There were times making Office Space when I said to myself, ‘Wow, this is what I was born to do.’ When it didn’t do that well, it became, ‘Maybe this isn’t what I’m supposed to do.’ I feel like Extract is me finally getting back to what I’m really good at.”