One of the most highly-anticipated films of 2021 is Adam McKay’s upcoming Netflix film Don’t Look Up which is led by a stellar ensemble cast including the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence etc.
It is supposedly a dark comedy and a Netflix original that has already garnered a lot of buzz from rumour mills. Given the incredible casting and intriguing premise, the film will undoubtedly become one of the platform’s most frequently streamed original feature films.
McKay is well-known for having directed The Other Guys, The Big Short, Vice and more. He will co-produce alongside Kevin Messick. This Academy Award-winning screenwriter-cum-director has executive produced for Netflix before.
Ahead of the film’s release which is most likely set to happen this year, here is a list of things we know about the upcoming film:
Everything we know about Netflix’s Don’t Look Up
When will Netflix’s Don’t Look Up release?
This highly-anticipated Netflix original film is slated for a later 2021 release, indicating either November 2021 or December 2021 will be the release date. Although Indiewire had originally reported the film to be released on December 22, 2021, they later removed the date as there has not been official confirmation.
However, Scott Stuber, the head of the global film in Netflix, announced that the film would be slated for a limited theatrical release alongside streaming on Netflix.
What is Netflix’s Don’t Look Up about?
According to the brief synopsis of the film, a giant meteorite is set to destroy Earth in less than six months, and it is up to two scientists to bring people’s attention and awareness to their impending doom.
In an interview with New York Times, Adam McKay was quoted calling the film a “dark comedy” as it would involve “DiCaprio and Lawrence and Rob Morgan trying to warn the world”. The film shall show the scientists going on a “media tour”, “navigating talk shows”, and the “political landscape” to warn the people about the impending doom.
The film seems to be an allegorical representation of the current times and the impending disaster resulting from climate change. DiCaprio himself is a passionate advocate for the effects of climate change, so we are pretty excited to see what inputs he had to provide in the film.
Talking about the allegorical angle, McKay revealed that it began as a climate-change allegory before the coronavirus pandemic started: “What that did was bring out what the movie is really about, which is how we communicate with each other. We can’t even talk to each other anymore,” he said, before adding, “we can’t even agree.
So it’s about climate change, but at its root, it’s about what has the internet, what have cellphones, what has the modern world done to the way we communicate.”
How long will Netflix’s Don’t Look Up run for?
According to its Netflix page, the film should run approximately for two hours and twenty-five minutes.
Who are the cast members on Netflix’s Don’t Look Up?
The film has a star-studded ensemble cast in the following roles:
- Leonardo DiCaprio as Dr Randall Mindy
- Cate Blanchett as Brie Evantee
- Jennifer Lawrence as Kate Dibiasky
- Jonah Hill as Jason Orlean
- Meryl Streep as President Janie Orlean
- Melanie Lynskey as June
- Ariana Grande as Riley Bina
- Matthew Petty as Dan Pawketty
- Himesh Patel as Phillip
- Timothee Chalamet
- Chris Evans
- Tyler Perry
- Ron Pearlman
- Kid Cudi
- Rob Morgan
This is Blanchett’s fourth time working on a Netflix Original. She will also be seen in Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio after her first two Netflix projects, namely Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle and Stateless, gained acclaim.
This film marks Jennifer Lawrence’s first-ever Netflix Original. Given the actress’ impressive track record with films such as Mother!, The Hunger Games franchise, Silver Linings Playbook etc., we expect her to turn heads with her role in McKays’ film.
Besides being a part of Martin Scorsese’s upcoming film Killer of the Flower Moon, alongside Robert DeNiro, this is Leo’s first Netflix venture.
While Chalamet, Evans, Tyler Perry and more are set to appear in yet-to-be-announced roles, Morgan is a Netflix Original veteran, having made appearances in The Defenders, Daredevil, Godless, Jessica Jones, Punisher, Luke Cage, Mudbound, Stranger things, It’s Bruno and more.
What is the production status for Netflix’s Don’t Look Up?
Filming was scheduled to begin in April 2020 but the pandemic hindered all plans and delayed principal shooting by several months. Filming finally commenced in November 2020, ending in February 2021. The shooting took place mainly in Boston, Massachusetts.
Throughout 2021, various pictures from the sets of the film went viral, including a picture of Jennifer Lawrence and Timothee Chalamet chilling on set.
The fan account on Twitter has posted some excellent updates and here are some of our favourites:
What can be noticed in the sneak peek for Netflix’s Don’t Look Up?
While the film has not released the trailer yet, we got a sneak peek into one of the exclusive scenes via the preview teaser that Netflix released in 2021, teasing all the films that would be released this year.
In the sneak peek, starting at two minutes 14 seconds mark, DiCaprio and Lawrence can be noticed in one of the first glimpses from the film.
