X-Men star Jennifer Lawrence is set to show off her funny side in new Netflix comedy Don’t Look Up.

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Directed and written by Adam McKay (Anchorman, The Big Short), the film will centre on two low-level astronomers attempting to warn the world about an approaching asteroid that could destroy Earth.

“I’m so thrilled to make this movie with Jen Lawrence,” McKay said. “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.”

Scott Stuber, head of Netflix films, added: “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.”

Filming will start this April, with Don’t Look Up expected to be released later this year.

McKay and Lawrence also have another project in development: Bad Blood. The film will see Lawrence play former billionaire Elizabeth Holmes, the real-life founder of Theranos, a blood-testing company accused of wildly exaggerating its claims.

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Don’t Look Up will be released on Netflix in 2020

Authors

Thomas LingDigital editor, BBC Science Focus

Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.

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