It was only a matter of time before a major studio announced a project centered on the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic and HBO has won the race. Since reality is dark enough right now, HBO’s pandemic-based film
Coastal Elites will be a comedy and star Issa Rae, Bette Midler and Sarah Paulson. In addition to safely leaving our homes, hugging friends, and living in a world with a COVID-19 vaccine, we can now also look forward to a great film in the future. In 2020, we need to celebrate every win we can.The satire is currently being written by playwright and screenwriter Paul Rudnick (
Addams Family Values, In & Out) and director Jay Roach (
Bombshell, Dinner for Schmucks, Meet The Fockers). The new project will reunite Midler and Rudnik, who worked together in 1996 on
The First Wives Club when Rudnik contributed to the script.HBO
describes the upcoming special as featuring "an all-star cast playing characters from New York to Los Angeles coping with politics and the pandemic" and "tells stories of breaking down and breaking through in the summer of 2020 that are funny, searing, poignant and now." Additionally, the TV event will be "Exploring our current world of deeply divided politics and the universal pursuit of human connection," all told through "a series of confessionals from five main characters." Expect a lot of sweatpants, Zoom references, take out, stress and boredom, but make it funny.[video_embed id='1963718']RELATED: Do Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae bring the sparks in 'The Lovebirds'? [/video_embed]In addition to Rae, Midler and Paulson, the upcoming comedy special will also star
Schitt’s Creek creator/star Dan Levy and
Unbelievable and
Booksmart actor Kaitlyn Dever.
Coastal Elites is scheduled to air in September on HBO and is being produced while quarantine orders are still in place, possibly ushering in a new era of physically distant filmmaking. Major film and TV studios are slowly beginning to reopen, but costly safety measures and tricky workarounds are required in order to make filming safe for cast and crew.Just announced this week, Universal is set to
resume filming on
Jurassic World: Dominion starting July 6. Pinewood Studios in the UK will reopen for the blockbuster film and members of the cast and crew traveling to the UK from the US, including stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, will be required to isolate for 14 days before filming begins. In addition to complying with the safety guidelines set out by the British Film Institute and British Film Commission, Universal is spending $5 million on additional safety measures. This includes COVID testing for cast and crew throughout filming, on-site doctors and nurses, coronavirus safety training for all employees, temperature and sanitizing stations in the studio and a specialized cleaning crew to routinely disinfect the set.CBS also resumed filming on
The Bold and the Beautiful this week in Los Angeles, implementing several safety measures on set of the long-running soap opera. In addition to staggered call times and a reduced number of cast and crew on set at any given time,
sex scenes will be filmed using spouses of actors and blow up dolls. Our hearts go out to the poor intern who has to spend their day sourcing those sex dolls.
The Bold and the Beautiful resumed filming on June 17, but was
forced to pause after only one day in order to ramp up weekly testing. The soap is expected to resume filming on June 23.[video_embed id='1979201']BEFORE YOU GO: Idris Elba and wife Sabrina Dhowre give Canada a major shout-out [/video_embed]
