Adam McKay is an incredibly busy man. The Big Short filmmaker has multiple HBO projects in the works; one about the Showtime-era Los Angeles Lakers, and another covering the Jeffrey Epstein story.
Alongside those, he’s also collaborating with Bong Joon-ho on a Parasite limited series, and will write and direct an anthology series titled The Uninhabitable Earth.
With all those projects in development – and all for HBO – you’d think his plate would be full. But not only does McKay have another project in the works, it’s for HBO rival Netflix, and it’s already being fast-tracked. The streaming giant has scooped up McKay’s sci-fi satire Don’t Look Up and has secured Jennifer Lawrence for the lead role.
Netflix are clearly very excited for this, as they’re making it a major priority. Filming will begin in April and the release is planned for later this year. Considering McKay’s prior awards success, Netflix probably see this as a major awards contender and don’t want to wait on any potential gold statues.
McKay previously described the film as a “dark satire in the school of Wag The Dog, Doctor Strangelove and Network“. The story revolves around two mid-level astronomers who discover a meteorite will destroy earth in six months, and have to go on a media tour to warn mankind. Considering the aforementioned cinematic influences, one assumes that media tour doesn’t go particularly well.
McKay said in a statement: “I’m so thrilled to make this movie with Jen Lawrence. She’s what folks in the 17th century used to call ‘a dynamite act’. And the fact that Netflix sees this movie as a worldwide comedy sets the bar high for me and my team in an exciting and motivating way”.
“Adam has always had great timing when it comes to making smart, relevant and irreverent films that depict our culture”, Scott Stuber, Netflix’s Head of Films added. “Even if he somehow ends up predicting planet Earth’s imminent demise, we’re excited to add this to our slate before it all comes to an end”.
McKay has become a favourite when it comes to addressing political issues on the big – and small – screen. Those influences he mentioned are not only seen as classic cinematic satire, but also prescient looks into the future. Will Don’t Look Up do the same?
#Peace.Love.DontLookUp
