We're still not 100% convinced that what most people (especially those in places like the UK and US suffering under fresh lockdown situations) are craving is movies and shows set during the pandemic as it continues its stranglehold in many countries. Still, that isn't deterring Doug Liman, who has odd rom-com/heist hybrid Locked Down on the way, starring Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor. The trailer is now online.
Written by Steven Knight, Locked Down follows Linda (Hathaway) and Paxton (Ejiofor), a couple whose relationship began to crumble just as the pandemic forced London onto the original lockdown, and them into staying together. As they spar and bicker, they also discover that they're in a prime position to steal a valuable diamond from Harrods, and the scheme might just be what their relationship needs.
Ben Stiller, Stephen Merchant, Lucy Boynton, Ben Kingsley, Mindy Kaling, Mark Gatiss, Dulé Hill, and Jazmyn Simon all feature in the cast for this one, which naturally features jokes about toilet paper hoarding and video calls. There's also a tiny Sexy Beast vibe with Kingsley and more than a hint of Ocean's Eight given the presence of Hathaway and Kaling.
Whether it can still be entertaining when we're all dealing with the seemingly never-ending Corona-nightmare remains to be seen, but the film will premiere across the pond on HBO Max on 14 January and is currently scheduled for release in some fashion (pending cinemas re-opening etc) in the UK on 5 March, ironically, the same day that Liman's long-delayed Chaos Walking is due.