Jennifer Lawrence To Star in Comedy, 'Don't Look Up'

Actor Jennifer Lawrence has now bagged her next project. She has been roped in  to star in Don’t Look Up, a comedy that Adam McKay, the filmmaker behind the Oscar-nominated movies Vice and The Big Short, wrote and will direct.

Netflix finalized the deal for the project Monday after it was shopped around over the weekend. The package has a budget in the $75 million range, according to sources who were involved in the bidding. A project insider, however, said the budget wasn't that high.

The story centers on two scientists who discover that a meteor will strike the Earth in six months. They go on a media tour trying to warn the world but find an unreceptive and unbelieving populace.

McKay will produce via his label, Hyperobject, along with partner Kevin Messick. The project was first announced when McKay signed a first-look deal with Paramount. The studio was the first stop for Look Up but the package’s cost was a stumbling block.

In a statement, McKay said he was "thrilled" to be working with Lawrence: "She’s what folks in the 17th century used to call 'a dynamite talent.' And the fact that Netflix sees this movie as a worldwide comedy sets the bar high for me and my team in an exciting and motivating way.”

Netflix's head of film Scott Stuber stated: “Adam has always had great timing when it comes to making smart, relevant and irreverent films that depict our culture. Even if he somehow ends up predicting planet Earth’s imminent demise, we’re excited to add this to our slate before it all comes to an end.”

Oscar-winning Lawrence recently wrapped production on theater director Lila Neugebauer’s untitled film for A24.