The new normal is anything but…
Coastal Elites is a socially-distanced satire from director Jay Roach and writer Paul Rudnick. The story follows five narratives about social distancing during this COVID-19 pandemic.
Coastal Elites was originally conceived for the Public Theater in New York, but jumped “to the screen at the beginning of the pandemic and evolved in real-time as the unprecedented events of 2020 unfolded, with filming taking place this summer under quarantine guidelines,” according to HBO.
The presentation stars Bette Midler as Miriam Nessler, a school teacher; Sarah Paulson as Clarissa Montgomery, a YouTuber; Kaitlyn Dever as Sharynn Tarrows, a frontline nurse; Dan Levy as Mark Hesterman, a young actor and Issa Rae as Callie Josephson, a philanthropist.
Rudnick recently spoke to Variety about the challenge about writing for such a timely project.
“I didn’t want the material to feel instantly dated, so I tried to be very careful about references,” Rudnick said. “Things are so crazy that when you think about three months ago it feels like a lifetime and people are almost nostalgic for February. I wanted to reflect that sense of being overwhelmed by every possible event so it would feel emotionally valid at any point. I think it could be working as a time capsule of Americans’ lives.”
Watch the trailer below:
Coastal Elites premieres September 12 at 8 p.m. on HBO.
