How to make a movie about the Covid-19 pandemic during the pandemic



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At the normal rate of Hollywood, it could take years to put together a movie about a jewel theft starring two Oscar-level actors. “Locked Down,” starring Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor, was written, shot and packaged in a matter of months, mainly because the cast and crew had nothing else to do during the pandemic that froze their lives. industry.

“It all started from this very rude place: literally all the actors are available,” says director Doug Liman, whose films include “Mr. & Mrs. Smith ”,“ The Bourne Identity ”and“ Edge of Tomorrow ”. Among the stars who have time for supporting parties: Ben Kingsley, Mindy Kaling and Ben Stiller.

“Locked Down,” which hit HBO Max on Thursday, is one of the first releases featuring high-profile Hollywood talent filmed during the pandemic and on the pandemic. The question: does anyone want to see on screen what they experience every day?

The film has a comedic plot about a couple who drive themselves insane in their London home during coronavirus isolation. They take the opportunity to steal a large diamond from the city’s most extravagant department store, Harrods.

To get there, the filmmakers had to do a bit of guerrilla warfare. The actors signed even though the script was unfinished. (“I wondered how they were going to wrap up in the next 10 or 20 pages,” Mr. Ejiofor recalls.) Harrods surprised producers by saying yes to a movie about a robbery at the store and giving them the broadcast of the building. . The masked crew rushed to an 18-day shoot in case London returns in real life. Mr Liman decided to fly from Martha’s Vineyard to London in his own plane (a single-engine turboprop) for the shoot – in part to eliminate the risk of catching Covid on a commercial flight, in part because he had always wanted to do so . He made a few stops along the way.

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