2020 left everyone with a wide range of quarantine projects, it just happens to be that for some those turn out to be full feature-length films or fully-fledged lockdown games. This was the case for director Doug Liman who is teaming up with HBO Max to bring a more light-hearted take on COVID-19 with Locked Down.
The pandemic had already seen the release of Songbird, a sci-fi thriller that released in early December to generally pretty bad reviews, but with Locked Down it seems that Liman (The Bourne Identity, Jumper) is channeling some very different coronavirus vibes come 2021, as the rom-com heist trailer suggests.
Starring Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor, Locked Down plays on the very simple premise of a couple trapped at home during quarantine in London, all while being caught in the absolute worst possible moment of their relationship. The trailer features all the relatable struggles of the pandemic like toilet paper shortages and plenty of Zoom calls, spicing things up for the couple when they come up with a plan to steal a diamond worth three million pounds.
The setup for Locked Down looks fairly promising for a rare chance to laugh in the pandemic’s face, with the added element of it being a heist movie only strengthening its appeal. Locked Down is scheduled for release in the United States this January 14 on HBO Max, and also features appearances from Ben Kingsley and Ben Stiller, though the latter Ben is not seen in the trailer.
Recently Hathaway starred in The Witches, a remake by Robert Zemeckis of the 1990 film of the same name based on Roald Dahl’s novel, another HBO Max exclusive which compared unfavorably to the original. However, entering 2021, HBO Max looks ready to level up their game with new exclusives, aside from booking Warner's entire movie lineup for the year, as it looks to compete with the likes of Netflix and Disney Plus.
Locked Down will be available on HBO Max starting January 14, 2021.
Source: HBO Max|YouTube