Judd Apatow cast his next Netflix comedy, “The Bubble”.
The film will star Maria Bakalova, the actor of “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”, the actor of “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle”, Karen Gillan, Iris Apatow and Fred Armisen. Pedro Pascal, Keegan-Michael Key, Leslie Mann, Peter Serafinowicz and David Duchovny complete the list of calls.
Apatow’s next directorial effort is categorically the opposite of escapism, rather than choosing to face the coronavirus crisis head-on. A meta-comedy, “The Bubble” follows a group of actors trapped inside a pandemic bubble in a hotel trying to finish a movie. Judd Apatow is directing the film from a script he co-wrote with “South Park” screenwriter Pam Brady.
The release date has not yet been set.
Apatow’s frequent collaborator, Barry Mendel, will serve as executive producer. Together, his production credits include “The Big Sick”, “Bridesmaids”, “This Is 40”, “Trainwreck” and “Funny People”. Donald Sabourin and Pam Brady also served as executive producers.
Several films and TV shows have begun to incorporate the pandemic into the stories, including the HBO Max film “Lock Down” with Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor, KJ Apa’s dystopian thriller “Songbird”, the Netflix series “Social Distance” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”
“The Bubble” marks Apatow’s first feature film on Netflix, although he previously worked with the streaming service on the comedy series “Love”, which he co-created and was executive producer.
Apatow’s directing credits include “The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling”, “Trainwreck”, “Knocked Up” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”. His most recent film was “The King of Staten Island”, a semi-autobiographical look at the life of comedian Pete Davidson. Although originally intended to be released in theaters, Universal Pictures’ film premiered on digital platforms last summer because theaters were closed due to the pandemic.