Judd Apatow has never been shy to explore relatively taboo topics, producing the 2005 hit The 40 Year Old Virgin and 2007’s Knocked Up, shedding light on topics most filmmakers wouldn’t even consider. However, in light of the COVID pandemic, Apatow has been unable to bring anything new to theaters, with most theatrical releases throughout the globe being put on pause. Subsequently, the country has become more reliant than ever on streaming content and has seen the birth of viral series such as Tiger King and Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, both courtesy of streaming giant Netflix. Netflix now seemingly hoping to strike gold again, teaming up with the outlandish filmmaker to take on what might be one of the most taboo topics of all at the moment, the pandemic.
The COVID pandemic has virtually rearranged the lives of the entire world, forcing society to operate under strict restrictions to ensure the virus is contained. It is quite easily one of the worst public health disasters in the history of the world, claiming over 1.3 million lives in roughly a year. Yet again though, where other filmmakers may fret, Apatow hopes to thrive and bring humor to light during a rather dark time. To pen the script, Apatow will be joined by South Park writer Pam Brady, someone who is seemingly as apt as Apatow at feeding into the absurdity of the world around us.
This will mark Apatow’s first feature film working with Netflix, but it will not mark their first time working together. Apatow previously produced the series Love for Netflix, a romantic comedy that pokes fun at the complexity of romantic relationships, which ran for 34 episodes from 2016 to 2018. With that being said, this is a big step for Apatow as he has never struggled to achieve box office success, but this new platform is something that any traditional filmmaker may struggle with, even the likes of Judd Apatow. With this being Netflix’s first announcement of the film, details are sparse and casting has yet to begin, but if it is reminiscent of any of Apatow’s previous work, Netflix is on pace for another hit.
