Adam McKay burst onto the scene in 2004 when his debut feature Anchorman almost instantly became a widely quoted cult classic, and he solidified his reputation as one of the comedy genre’s leading lights by following up Ron Burgundy’s first adventure with Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Step Brothers and The Other Guys alongside his Gary Sanchez Productions co-founder Will Ferrell.
After directing long-awaited sequel Anchorman 2, McKay then transitioned into more dramatic fare, and he’s done a phenomenal job so far. The Big Short saw him win an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, while he was also nominated for Best Director and the movie itself picked up a nod for Best Picture.
His next effort fared just as well, with biographical satire Vice scoring eight nominations in total including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, while Christian Bale, Sam Rockwell and Amy Adams were all recognized for their performances, too. McKay is now looking to balance the best of both worlds in Netflix comedy Don’t Look Up, which follows two low-level astronomers embarking on a media tour to warn people that an asteroid is on a collision course with Earth, but nobody believes them.
That’s a fantastic concept, and the director has assembled an incredible cast, with Leonardo DiCaprio the latest big name to join the ensemble in the A-lister’s first foray into the world of streaming. To give you an indication of how stacked Don’t Look Up is going to be, other names set to star include Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Lawrence, Jonah Hill, Timothee Chalamet, Matthew Perry and Yesterday breakout star Himesh Patel, along with musicians Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi. Suffice it to say, this one has ‘awards contender’ written all over it.