Doug Liman's 'Lockdown' Cast Adds Ben Stiller, Lily James, Stephen Merchant, And More

Director Doug Liman's new heist movie just got an injection of new cast members.

Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder), Lily James (Baby Driver), Stephen Merchant (Logan), and more are the latest names to join Lockdown, a pandemic-themed heist film which already had Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (Doctor Strange) on board in the lead roles. Learn more about the movie below.

Before he sends Tom Cruise to literal space, Doug Liman, the director of films like The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow, and Jumper, is getting back behind the camera for a much more...grounded film. Lockdown, a heist film with elements of both romantic comedy and drama, is set against the backdrop of COVID-19 and stars Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor as a sparring married couple who call a truce to attempt a high-risk, high-stakes jewelry heist at Harrod's, the world's most exclusive department store.

Steven Knight, who wrote films as varied as Eastern Promises, Locke, Seventh Son, Burnt, Allied, The Girl in the Spider's Web, and the notoriously awful Matthew McConaughey/Anne Hathaway film Serenity, wrote the screenplay for this one, so there's truly no telling how Lockdown will shake out. As for Liman, he's worked some magic with the "sparring couple" vibe in the past in 2005's Mr. and Mrs. Smith. He also has some heist experience, directing the pilot of a 2006 TV series called...well, Heist. The show didn't last, but here's the pilot if you're interested:

Now The Hollywood Reporter says Stiller, James, and Merchant are in "advanced talks" to star in the movie, while actors Dulé Hill (one of the leads of the USA Network comedy Psych), Jazmyn Simon (Ballers), and Mark Gatiss (Sherlock) are listed as "also in talks." Simon previously worked with Hill on the two Psych movies and with Merchant on HBO's underseen comedy series Hello Ladies. There's no word on who any of them will be playing, but this is shaping up to be a strong ensemble.

Production on Lockdown has just begun in London, and the film will continue to follow "strict protocols" as the shoot stretches through October in the United Kingdom. AGC Studios is financing the movie, which will be produced by PJ van Sandwijk (American Dharma, Citizen K), Alison Winter, who has worked with Liman on several film and streaming productions over the past few years, and Michael Lesslie, who wrote the 2016 movie adaptation of Assassin's Creed.