If Leonardo DiCaprio agreed to star in a disaster movie for Netflix, it's because the idea of a comet threatening to destroy all life on Earth is in his eyes a perfect analogy for the current climate crisis.
In the satirical comedy Don't Look Up: Cosmic Denial, the star and his partner Jennifer Lawrence play two obscure astronomers who try in vain to alert a divided American public, in a country led by an incompetent president played by Meryl Streep.
Back from the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Leonardo DiCaprio believes that the film written and directed by Adam McKay succeeds in creating suspense about a crisis that spans over a century.
The film, which also stars Ariana Grande, Cate Blanchett, Mark Rylance and Jonah Hill, will be released in the U.S. on December 10 before being released on the Netflix platform on December 24.
Adam McKay (Vice) has become one of Hollywood's most sought-after directors, and some critics predict Don't Look Up will have a bright future in the Oscar race.
Leonardo DiCaprio has a dream that the film will encourage companies and governments to take a radical turn on the climate crisis. But he admits he is not too optimistic about humanity's ability to tackle the problem head on.
Adopted last Saturday at the end of two weeks of laborious negotiations by the 200 countries of the COP26, the Glasgow Climate Pact aims to accelerate the fight against global warming, without ensuring that it is contained at 1.5°C or responding to requests for aid from poor countries.
Time is so limited and we have to act on such a large scale very quickly, says Leonardo DiCaprio. And if we don't do anything, we know how it will end, he warns.
