Netflix is reportedly producing a new movie set against the backdrop of a pandemic, directed by Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin), no less.
As detailed in an exclusive report by Deadline, Apatow is making his next movie with the streaming service. The film, which currently has no title, is going to follow a group of actors stuck inside a 'pandemic bubble' at a hotel while they're all trying to finish filming a movie.
Apatow is attached as the director and producer of the comedy, and it will be co-written with Pam Brady, who worked on South Park and Lady Dynamite. Apatow will also be joined by Barry Mendel (The Big Sick) as the executive producer.
While no actors have been selected yet, Deadline's report mentions that it could feature an ensemble cast to rival the likes of Knives Out – simply because it's full of juicy roles.
It's unclear when the movie will be filmed or released, but the timeliness of the premise appears to be a factor in the film coming to Netflix rather than a traditional movie studio.
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Do we want movies about the pandemic?
Perhaps this is a sign of things to come for the films industry – are we going to be inundated with movies and shows now focus around the coronavirus, or associated subject matters? After this is over, will we really want to be reminded of the whole thing?
In the case of Apatow's film, the idea of actors with big egos spending too much indoors with each other feels like it's a potentially funny premise.
We're far less convinced by the Michael Bay-produced Songbird, however, a horror movie set in a lockdown where a strain of Covid is killing people years later. You can see a trailer for that below:
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