As previously reported, “Don’t Look Up” will star Lawrence as a low-level astronomer who discovers along with her partner that a giant asteroid is heading toward earth and will destroy it. The scientists embark on a tour around the country warning the population about its inevitable death, but people aren’t so quick to believe them or care. A THR report in February put the budget at around $75 million, but a source close to Netflix told IndieWire at the time that number was not correct
“I’m so thrilled to make this movie with Jen Lawrence,” McKay said in a statement earlier this year. “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.” McKay and Lawrence were originally scheduled to begin production on “Don’t Look Up” in April, but the coronavirus pandemic pushed that plan back. The delay in filming opened the door for the star-studded ensemble cast to come together, especially Leonardo DiCaprio. The Oscar winner’s name has floated around “Don’t Look Up” for months, but his involvement always hinged on a busy schedule that includes Martin Scorsese’s Apple drama “Killers of the Flower Moon.” In an interview with Insider this week, McKay said “Don’t Look Up” appealed to him as he was seeking a return to comedy after the heavy burden of his Dick Cheney biopic “Vice.” McKay got his start in comedy with films such as “Anchorman” and “Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” but he says moviegoers shouldn’t expect “Don’t Look Up” to be as wacky as those films. “I don’t think it’s a ‘Step Brothers’-type of comedy,” McKay said. “I would compare it more to somewhere between the Mike Judge stuff and ‘Wag the Dog.’ A hard funny satire is what we’re going for.” Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
