You have to hand it to WarnerMedia, the studio isn’t lying when it says that HBO Max is a priority. The fledgling streaming platform that launched earlier this year has been growing steadily since its debut but has yet to capture the tens of millions of subscribers that Disney+ has earned or anywhere near as many as Amazon Prime Video or Netflix. So, we’ve begun to see WarnerMedia make big moves to highlight HBO Max. And the latest move involves one of the most interesting pandemic-era projects, “Lockdown.”
According to Deadline, HBO Max has purchased the distribution rights for “Lockdown,” the upcoming pandemic-set thriller from director Doug Liman. The film stars Anne Hathaway, Ben Stiller, Stephen Merchant, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lucy Boynton, Ben Kingsley, Mindy Kaling, and Dule Hill. While exact plot details are unknown, the thriller is said to be a heist feature that takes place during the current COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown situation that people are experiencing throughout the world. Steven Knight has written the script and filming is currently underway in the UK.
“Lockdown” is one of the most high-profile projects to spawn from the current pandemic. Liman has found a way to take the downtime between finishing up “Chaos Walking” and beginning production on his upcoming $200 million-budgeted space adventure starring Tom Cruise to focus on his current mid-budget action-thriller with one of the best ensemble casts of the past several years.
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And as mentioned, this is just another big statement for HBO Max and WarnerMedia’s commitment to streaming as the future of the company. In addition to “Lockdown,” the biggest move for HBO Max is the upcoming release of “Wonder Woman 1984,” which will arrive simultaneously in theaters and the streaming service on Christmas Day. There are also reports that “Godzilla vs. Kong” could be headed to the streamer, as well as a number of other films that were once bound for theaters.
A release date has yet to be determined for “Lockdown,” but we can probably expect it sometime in 2021.