The Kumail Nanjiani & Issa Rae comedy, The Lovebirds, was an early victim of a release delay amid the growing coronavirus pandemic. Originally slated to open April 3 in the states after a world premiere set at SXSW on March 14, the film saw both of those events nixed when SXSW was canceled and the comedy was pulled from its opening weekend. The Paramount comedy wasn’t given a new release date but now it seems the film has found a new home to be seen. It has been announced that The Lovebirds will be headed to Netflix.
The deal is still in the finishing stages so a streaming date has not been announced just yet but it’s pretty much a done deal for the film to hit the streamer. The deal for the film also includes a global launch on Netflix so the film will be able to be seen around the world.
The film, directed by Michael Showalter, stars Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae as a couple who experience a defining moment in their relationship when they are unintentionally embroiled in a murder mystery. This isn’t the first time that Paramount has done deals with Netflix. Bad Robot’s The Cloverfield Paradox skipped a theatrical release and went straight to Netflix with surprise debut following The Super Bowl in 2018. Netflix had foreign rights, while Paramount handled domestic on the Natalie Portman sci-fi movie Annihilation. Also, Netflix had foreign on New Line’s Rebel Wilson movie Isn’t It Romantic, while Warners gave that a theatrical release.
