‘Borat 2’ Breakout Maria Bakalova, Pedro Pascal and Fred Armisen Cast in Judd Apatow’s Netflix Pandemic Comedy

Judd Apatow has set the cast for his upcoming Netflix comedy “The Bubble.”

The film will star “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” breakout Maria Bakalova, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” actor Karen Gillan, Iris Apatow and Fred Armisen. Pedro Pascal, Keegan-Michael Key, Leslie Mann, Peter Serafinowicz and David Duchovny round out the call sheet.

Apatow’s next directorial effort is categorically the opposite of escapism fare, instead choosing to address the coronavirus crisis head-on. A meta comedy, “The Bubble” follows a group of actors stuck inside a pandemic bubble at a hotel attempting to complete a film. Judd Apatow is directing the film from a script he co-wrote with “South Park” scribe Pam Brady.

A release date has not been set yet.

Apatow’s frequent collaborator Barry Mendel will serve as executive producer. Together, their producing credits include “The Big Sick,” “Bridesmaids,” “This Is 40,” “Trainwreck” and “Funny People.” Donald Sabourin and Pam Brady also served as executive producers.

Several films and TV shows have already started incorporating the pandemic into storylines, including the HBO Max movie “Lock Down” with Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor, K.J. Apa’s dystopian thriller “Songbird,” the Netflix series “Social Distance” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”

“The Bubble” marks Apatow’s first Netflix feature film, though he previously worked with the streaming service on the comedy series “Love,” which he co-created and executive produced.

Apatow’s directing credits include “The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling,” “Trainwreck,” “Knocked Up” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” His most recent film was “The King of Staten Island,” a semi-autobiographical look at the life of comedian Pete Davidson. Though it was originally intended to release in theaters, the Universal Pictures film debuted on digital platforms last summer because cinemas were closed due to the pandemic.

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