Trailer released for Anne Hathaway’s COVID heist movie, ‘Locked Down’

Welcome to the "new normal" of romcoms. HBO Max's first original offering this year is a romantic comedy heist flick starring Anne Hathaway set during the pandemic. 

Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor star as an estranged couple who decide to pull off a jewelry heist during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in Locked Down, set to premiere on HBO Max on Jan. 14. 

The trailer dropped on Tuesday (Jan. 5), less than four months after the film was first announced. Locked Down was shot entirely in London during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic under strict safety protocols, and was acquired by HBO Max in December 2020.

Initially titled Lockdown, the upcoming film is directed by Doug Liman, who also helmed Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) and Edge of Tomorrow (2014). The film follows the estranged couple, played by The Devil Wears Prada and Princess Diaries star herself Anne Hathaway, and British-Nigerian actor Chiwetel Ejiofor (Serenity, 12 Years a Slave), who are forced to quarantine together for weeks as the pandemic sweeps the globe. 

Confined to their home, the duo encounter uniquely pandemic-related problems, including cabin fever, toilet paper shortages, Zoom calls, and getting furloughed.

The quarrelling couple concoct a plan to take advantage of the situation and lax security protocols by pulling off a jewelry heist at Harrods, the department store where Hathaway's character works.

The film features several other celebrities, who mostly appear via Zoom, including Ben Stiller, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Mindy Kaling, reuniting with Hathaway in another heist-related film after Ocean’s 8 (2018).

As reported by ScreenRant, as the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, several television shows and films have inevitably integrated it into their storylines, with varying success.

Streamers have also released COVID-themed shows, including Netflix's Social Distance, the recent mockumentary Death to 2020, Hulu's Love in the Time of Corona, and HBO Max's own Coastal Elites. 

The controversial Michael Bay thriller Songbird, starring Riverdale's KJ Apa features a dystopian outlook on the pandemic in which the virus has mutated, which many viewers feel is highly insensitive, given the current situation and death toll.