Netflix has boarded Adam McKay’s new comedy feature Don’t Look Up, which Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence will star in. Deadline first broke the news about the project last Novemberwhen we announced the Oscar-winning Big Short filmmaker’s new first-look deal at Paramount under his label Hyberobject Industries.
Don’t Look Up tells the story of two low-level astronomers who must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching asteroid that will destroy Earth. Production will begin in April for a release later this year.
McKay wrote the comedy and will produce under his Hyperobject Industries banner with Kevin Messick.
“I’m so thrilled to make this movie with Jen Lawrence. She’s what folks in the 17th century used to call ‘a dynamite talent’,” McKay said. “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.”
Scott Stuber, head of Netflix films, added: “Adam has always had great timing when it comes to making smart, relevant and irreverent films that depict our culture. 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’s most recent feature Vice, about former Vice President Dick Cheney, went on to receive eight Oscar nominations, winning for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. In 2016, McKay won the Oscar, BAFTA and WGA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay with his co-writer Charles Randolph for The Big Short.
Lawrence won the Oscar for Best Actress for her turn in 2012’s Silver Linings Playbook. She has been nominated for three additional Oscars, for Joy, American Hustle and Winter’s Bone. She recently wrapped production on theater director Lila Neugebauer’s untitled film for A24 and Scott Rudin Productions in which she stars and produced alongside Justine Polsky under their production banner Excellent Cadaver.
Following Don’t Look Up, Lawrence will star in and produce Mob Girl, to be directed by Paolo Sorrentino for Universal through Excellent Cadaver’s first-look film deal and partnership with Makeready.
McKay and Lawrence separately have another project in development: Legendary Entertainment’s Bad Blood which he plans to direct, and she to star, with Vanessa Taylor writing. The Silicon Valley scandal project stars Lawrence as Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of the controversial blood testing company Theranos.
Lawrence is repped by LBI and Hansen Jacobson Teller. McKay is repped by WME (as a director and producer) and Ziffren Brittenham LLP.
