We've Got Hollywood Covered
|

‘The Lovebirds’ Stars Kumail Nanjiani, Issa Rae to Skip SXSW Film Premiere Over Coronavirus Concerns

Paramount’s comedy will still screen at the festival

| March 6, 2020 @ 10:53 AM
THE LOVEBIRDS

Paramount Pictures

Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae, the two stars of Paramount’s upcoming comedy “The Lovebirds,” will not attend this year’s SXSW when their film makes its world premiere as part of the festival, an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.

Director Michael Showalter also will not attend the festival in Austin, Texas, but the film will still screen at the event.

Paramount will now move the press efforts for “The Lovebirds” to Los Angeles ahead of its April 3 release.

Also Read: CAA Restricts Travel for Employees Due to Coronavirus Concerns

Nanjiani recently announced he had to cancel his performance as part of a live table read at Film Independent on Wednesday, citing concerns over new cases of COVID-19 reported in LA county.

Hollywood continues to monitor SXSW before it kicks off next week on March 13 and runs through March 22. Already several media outlets, studios and tech companies have announced they are pulling out or limiting their activity at the festival. Among them are Starz, Lionsgate, Netflix, Apple, Amazon Studios, Twitter, Facebook and CNN.

So far, Texas health officials have confirmed 14 cases of the respiratory virus in the state.

Nanjiana tweeted Wednesday that he lives “with an immunocompromised person,” seemingly referring to his wife, Emily V. Gordon, who has Still’s disease. “So I need to be extra careful and avoid crowds right now. I need to do everything I can to protect those I love,” Najiani added.

“The Lovebirds” is a comedy, romance and mystery story about a couple deeply in love who go on the run from the law after a man they think is a cop murders another man and leaves them at the scene of the crime. Their love is tested as they work together to clear their names.

Variety first reported the news.

57 Eye-Popping SXSW Portraits, From Emily Blunt to Tye Sheridan to Elle Fanning (Exclusive Photos)

  • SXSW 2018
  • SXSW 2018 A Vigilante Olivia Wilde and Sarah Daggar-Nickson
  • SXSW 2018 A Vigilante Olivia Wilde
  • SXSW 2018 Ben Foster, Melanie Laurent, and Elle Fanning Galveston
  • SXSW 2018 Elle Fanning Galveston
  • SXSW 2018 Paul Scheer Joey King Becca Gleason Andrea Savage Summer 03
  • SXSW 2018 Paul Scheer Summer 03
  • Joey King Summer 03 SXSW 2018
  • SXSW 2018 Noah Jupe and Millicent Simmonds Quiet Place
  • SXSW 2018 Quiet Place John Krasinski
  • SXSW 2018 Quiet Place Emily Blunt
  • SXSW 2018 Lean On Pete Andrew Haigh, Charlie Plummer
  • SXSW 2018 Lean On Pete Charlie Plummer
  • SXSW 2018 Yen Tan, Aidan Langford, Virginia Madsen, Jamie Chung, cory michael smith 1985
  • SXSW 2018 Jamie Chung 1985
  • SXSW 2018 John Gallagher Jr., Sophia Mitri, Megan Griffiths, Melanie Lynskey, and Tony Hale Sadie
  • Tony Hale Sadie SXSW 2018
  • SXSW 2018 Fridays Child AJ Edwards and Tye Sheridan
  • SXSW 2018 Fridays Child Tye Sheridan
  • SXSW 2018 You Can Choose Your Family Jim Gaffigan
  • SXSW 2018 Laura Steinel, Bryn Vale, Jessie Ennis Family
  • SXSW 2018 Jessie Ennis Family
  • SXSW 2018 The Legacy of a Whitefall Deer Hunter Josh Brolin, Montana Jordan, Jody Hill, and Danny McBride
  • SXSW 2018 The Legacy of a Whitefall Deer Hunter Danny McBride
  • SXSW 2018 Alec berg and Bill Hader Barry
  • SXSW 2018 Bill Hader Barry
  • SXSW 2018 Who Are We Now Julianne Nicholson Matthew Newton
  • SXSW 2018 Who Are We Now Julianne Nicholson
  • SXSW 2018 Fast Color Jordan Horowitz Saniyya Sidney and Julia Hart
  • SXSW 2018 Fast Color Saniyya Sidney
  • SXSW 2018 Transmilitary Laila Ireland, Logan Ireland, Jennifer Peace, Fiona Dawson, El Cook, and Gabriel Silverman
  • SXSW 2018 TransmilitaryLogan Ireland, Gabriel Silverman and Fiona Dawson
  • SXSW 2018 Prospect Zeek Earl, Sophie thatcher, Anwan Glover, Sheila Vand, and Christopher Caldwelltent
  • SXSW 2018 Sophie thatcher Prospect
  • SXSW 2018 The Unicorn Darrell Britt-Gibson, Lauren Lapkus, maya kazan, nick rutherford, and Robert Schwartzman
  • SXSW 2018 The Unicorn Robert Schwartzman
  • SXSW 2018 Support the Girls Dylan Gelula, Regina Hall, Haley Lu Richardson, AJ Michalca
  • SXSW 2018 Support the girls Haley Lu Richardson
  • SXSW 2018 Wilding Paul Haslinger Troy Ruptash and Fritz Bohm
  • SXSW 2018 Wilding Troy Ruptash
  • SXSW 2018 The Breaker Upperers Jackie Van Beek and Madeleine Sami
  • SXSW 2018 The Breaker Upperers Jackie Van Beek
  • SXSW 2018 The Breaker Upperers Madeleine Sami
  • SXSW 2018 Untitled Blumhouse Film Betty Gabriel
  • SXSW 2018 Untitled Blumhouse Film Timur Bekmambetov, Stephen Susco and Colin Woodell
  • First Match Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Elvire Emanuelle, Colman Domingo, Director Olivia Newman SXSW
  • First Match Elvire Emanuelle SXSW
  • First Match Colman Domingo SXSW
  • First Match Yahya Abdul-Mateen II SXSW
  • Rachel Bloom SXSW Be Conference
  • Weed The People Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein SXSW
  • Weed The People Abby Epstein SXSW
  • SXSW Be Conference rock band "Dorothy" Eliot Lorango, Jason Ganberg, Dorothy Martin, and Eli Wulfmeier
  • Dorothy Martin SXSW Be Conference
  • Dont Leave Home Michael Tully Anna Margaret Hollyman SXSW
  • Dont Leave Home director Michael Tully SXSW
  • Boundaries SXSW Vera Farmiga, Shana Feste and Lewis MacDougall
  • Boundaries SXSW Vera Farmiga
1 of 58

SXSW 2018: Stars like John Krasinki, Vera Farmiga and more sat down with TheWrap for an interview and photo shoot

View In Gallery

LIKE US