Judd Apatow Heads to Netflix for Comedy Set During the Pandemic

The United States is in the midst of a massive third wave of the coronavirus pandemic just as the holiday season begins to ramp up, and even with some promising recent developments about potential vaccines, one thing remains certain: COVID will be with us for a while longer yet. Not only in our day-to-day existence, but also in the movies we consume.

Case in point: a new report says that Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin) has found his next directing project, and it will be a comedy film set during the pandemic. He’s making it at Netflix, which is the first time he’ll be directing a film for that streaming platform. Get some more details below.

According to Deadline, Apatow will produce and direct an untitled comedy set during the pandemic, which “follows a group of actors and actresses stuck inside a pandemic bubble at a hotel attempting to complete a film.” No casting decisions have been made yet, but the report states that meetings will be happening in the coming weeks and “insiders say the amount of juicy parts could lead to an all-star ensemble that could rival Knives Out and The Disaster Artist.”

In addition to directing and producing, Apatow is also going to write the screenplay alongside Pam Brady (South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, Team America: World Police, Hot Rod). Barry Mendel will serve as an executive producer. He previously produced films like The Sixth Sense, Rushmore, and Serenity, and he’s produced every one of Apatow’s feature directorial efforts since 2009’s Funny People.

Both Apatow and Brady have worked with Netflix in the past. Apatow co-created and executive produced the romantic drama series Love, while Brady created and executive produced the surreal Maria Bamford comedy series Lady Dynamite. But this is still yet another notable “get” for Netflix, which has been excellent at consistently luring top talent to create films for its streaming roster.

Apatow has previously made his movies at Universal, including this year’s The King of Staten Island, which ended up being released directly to PVOD because of the pandemic. Apparently, Apatow’s move over to Netflix for this untitled pandemic comedy does not necessarily portend the destruction of his relationship with Universal; Deadline says it boiled down to Netflix having enough money and flexibility to be able to quickly finance the project whereas Universal is still trying to figure out its upcoming slate.

The post Judd Apatow Heads to Netflix for Comedy Set During the Pandemic appeared first on /Film.

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