Jennifer Lawrence to star in Netflix comedy

NEW YORK: Jennifer Lawrence will star in the comedy ‘Don’t Look Up’ for Netflix as the streaming giant announced that it acquired the project.

Adam McKay wrote the script and will direct the film about two low-level astronomers who go on a media tour to warn of an approaching asteroid heading for Earth.

Lawrence has been little seen on the big screen lately, most recently co-starring in last year’s X-Men: Dark Phoenix which had a dismal standing at the box-office.

The 29-year-old actress took a roughly two-year hiatus from acting but has recently returned to work. She recently wrapped production on an untitled film for A24 directed by Lila Neugebauer.

“I’m so thrilled to make this movie with Jen Lawrence,” McKay said in a statement. “She’s what folks in the 17th century used to call ‘a dynamite act.’ 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.”

McKay’s most recent movie was 2018′s Oscar-nominated Vice, starring Christian Bale as Dick Cheney.

“Adam has always had great timing when it comes to making smart, relevant and irreverent films that depict our culture,” said Scott Stuber, head of film at Netfix.

“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.”

The shooting for “Don’t Look Up” is set to begin in April while the film will debut on Netflix later this year.

This is the second time Lawrence and McKay have been connected to a project. Back in 2016, they planned to team up on an Elizabeth Holmes film, with Lawrence set to play the disgraced Theranos founder, but the feature remains in development.