If you know anything about how movies are made, you are well aware that making a movie takes time. Not only do you have to write the script, cast the actors, find a director, and get the financing, each step of this process can take an eternity. That’s why you sometimes hear people saying it took a decade to get something made. But with directorDoug Limanand screenwriterSteven Knight’snew movieLockedDown(which is now streaming on HBO Max), everything I just mentioned went out the window.
Not only did they come up with the idea in July of 2020, they started casting with only a fraction of the finished script, and then they were shooting in London in September. In addition, rather than spending months or even years working on the screenplay, everyone involved agreed to shoot the first draft. Over the course of 18 days, a very small crew shot the 180-page script during the pandemic and were the first movie given permission to shoot inside one of London’s most famous department stores: Harrods. While you might think this mad plan would result in a half-baked movie,Locked Downabsolutely captures what we’re all going through and completely works due toAnne HathawayandChiwetel Ejiofor’sfantastic performances. Moreover, the third act consists of a heist that could only be shot during a pandemic.
If you’re not familiar with the film,Locked Downis about a broken up couple (Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor) that are forced to stay together at their London home due to the mandatory lockdown. They originally got together 10 years prior and during that time have each gone their separate ways. But when Ejiofor’s character is offered a job that surprisingly intermingles with Hathaway’s world, they start to wonder if they both should do something unexpected.Locked Downalso featuresStephen Merchant,Mindy Kaling,Lucy Boynton,Dulé Hill,Jazmyn Simon,Ben StillerandBen Kingsley.
Shortly after seeing the film I had the chance to speak with Doug Liman. He talked about what it was like making a movie about the pandemic during the pandemic, how quickly the project came together and the lack of time to debate the script, how they got Harrods to agree to be in the movie, and a lot more.
Check out what he had to say in the player below and further down the page is exactly what we talked about.
