A Pandemic Rom-Com Is Apparently Underway with Anne Hathaway in Talks to Star

The coronavirus crisis is not over yet, but that hasn't stopped Hollywood from portraying the global pandemic on-screen. Last month, Freeform debuted Love in the Time of Corona, a limited romantic series highlighting how couples are faring under social distancing measures. Now, director Doug Liman is taking things a step further with a rom-com-heist flick called Lockdown.

From the helmer of action features like Mr. & Mrs. Smith and The Bourne Identity, Lockdown takes place against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, Variety reported. Further plot details have yet to be disclosed, but Deadline reported that filming could start in London as soon as the end of September.

Anne Hathaway is in final talks to star, according to both outlets. The Oscar winner recently appeared in Netflix's The Last Thing He Wanted, Prime Video's Modern Love, and Warner Bros.' Ocean's 8, another heist film. Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy may also possibly star, but his casting is unconfirmed, per Deadline.

The news was not warmly welcomed on Twitter, where users decried the ill timing of the announcement. With the United States suffering more than six million coronavirus cases, more than 190,000 COVID-19-related deaths, and a brutal economic recession, critics said it feels too soon—or just outright inappropriate—to turn the pandemic into meet-cute fodder.

This article originally appeared on Harper's Bazaar US.