Where there’s a will to make a pandemic-set rom com, there’s a Hathaway.
Behold the trailer for HBO Max’s “Locked Down,” which premieres Jan. 14 on the streaming service. The trailer arrived on Tuesday, less than four months after the film, which was shot in London during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic under strict safety protocols, was first announced.
Directed by Doug Liman, the film follows an on-the-rocks couple, played by Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor, who are forced to lock down together for weeks as the pandemic sweeps the globe. Confined to their home, the estranged duo lash out at each other as they encounter a slew of uniquely 2020 frustrations, including toilet paper shortages, Zoom calls and getting furloughed.
One thing they can agree on, however, is a plan to take advantage of the moment (and the lax security protocols) by pulling off a jewelry heist at the department store Harrods, presumably rekindling their romance in the process.
The film also stars a slew of famous faces, who seemingly mostly appear via Zoom, including Ben Stiller, Stephen Merchant, Lucy Boynton, Sir Ben Kingsley, Dulé Hill, Jazmyn Simon and Mindy Kaling, reuniting with Hathaway in another diamond-centered heist flick after 2018′s “Ocean’s 8.”
Hathaway recently reflected on the particular process of filming the project in lockdown, remarking that the experience was at times both “very normal” “completely wild.”
“The sheer act of making it, of doing something so collaborative and audacious made us all very focused and open — and strangely free,” she told People. “Like the odds were so against us anyway that it made me want to lean into the exhilaration and take risks with my performance. It was scary taking my mask off every day, and so I really appreciated how committed the crew was to keeping their masks on — even when we were shooting in hot rooms and they were carrying heavy camera and lighting equipment they were always, always masked. Their professionalism helped keep me safe, and I was and am incredibly grateful to them.”
The Oscar-winner went on to describe her character as someone who’s been “carrying around so much tension for so long.”
“This film is partially about how the chaos of lockdown allows her to release that tension, let go of whatever BS was getting her through the day and how she gets all the way honest about what authenticity and freedom mean to her,” Hathaway added. “She is messy and a little nuts and I liked that.”