Movies

Don't Look Now, But Don't Look Up Has A Behind The Scenes Podcast Series

Jonah Hill, Leo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, and Jennifer Lawrence in Don't Look Up Netflix
By BJ Colangelo/

Regardless of your personal feelings on the film, "Don't Look Up" has become one of the most popular films on Netflix, and in the wake of the film's success, the streaming giant has announced "The Last Movie Ever Made," a new short-run podcast series dedicated to the making-of Adam McKay's satirical disaster flick. The podcast will feature six episodes beginning January 7, 2022, and look at not just the film's production process, but also the way the film's plot coincidentally reflects the way those in power have completely fumbled the entire COVID-19 pandemic response since the very beginning. The podcast's description makes it seem like the episodes are going to lean more into the ways "Don't Look Up" has become eerily relevant.

In early 2020, Adam McKay set out to make a comedy. It was meant to make fun of, and point to, the forces stopping us from saving ourselves from climate change. 2020, of course, had other plans. This is what happened when a cast and crew came together to make a disaster comedy, while living through a series of very uncomedic disasters.

Most notably, the podcast will also feature appearances from the film's jaw-droppingly impressive cast, like Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Tyler Perry, Ariana Grande, Timothée Chalamet, Rob Morgan, and Himesh Patel.

The Podcast's Existence Adds Another Layer to the Satire

Cate Blanchett, Tyler Perry, Leo DiCaprio, and Jennifer Lawrence in Don't Look Up Netflix

The premise of "Don't Look Up" is about a group of scientists who discover a giant comet is headed right toward Earth and the impact will kill us all, but instead of listening to the scientists, the media, politicians, and the general public respond, well, exactly the way they have with climate change and COVID-19. "Don't Look Up" to some feels like smug finger-wagging around a problem we're already acutely aware exists, but to others, it's the cathartic release of our real-world frustrations toward science deniers, political extremists, and blatant sacrifice of humanity's survival in the name of capitalism. It's a film satirizing a time where reality feels beyond satire, and the fact the film is getting its own podcast only adds to it.

Is it hypocritical for me to be like, "Ughhhh another podcast?!" as someone with a podcast? Yes. Is it low-key brilliant that a film that points out the key to surviving this deranged and bleak timeline is listening to independent voices since those in power are frequently untrustworthy is choosing to dissect its own meaning by way of podcasting? Also yes. No matter which side of the fence you fall on liking/disliking "Don't Look Up," a companion podcast feels like the correct next step in the film's evolution. Here's hoping Ariana Grande gets an episode dedicated entirely to singing that ridiculous song.

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