The Lovebirds tells the story of one couple, played by Hollywood darlings Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani, and their action-packed quest to prove their innocence after they are wrongly accused of a serious crime. So yeah, your boring love life isn't all that bad in comparison.
Every couple reaches that pivotal point in their relationship that can either make or break them. For some, it's distance, and for others, it's infidelity. For Leilani and Jibran, it's a casual date that quickly evolves into an amateur murder investigation. In the film's trailer, a special moment between Jibran (Nanjiani) and Leilani (Rae) is interrupted when their car is hijacked and used as a murder weapon. Desperate and on the run, the couple sets out to clear their names, running into obstacle after obstacle as they try to figure out whodunnit — and if their struggling relationship is worth saving after all.
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The romantic comedy/ action film marks the actors' first time collaborating on a project, but it was a long time coming — Rae and Nanjiani have been fans of each other for quite some time. When Rae first heard that Nanjiani had signed on to to star in the movie, she immediately jumped on board. Together, they worked to make the movie their own.
"Initially, they were written for white people which, plot-wise, would have been a different story,” Rae told EW. “It’s not a story about race, but we wanted to acknowledge our race and the fact that we’re an interracial couple.”
The onscreen chemistry between the pair is apparent, and it's Nanjiani's favorite part of the film. "The aspects I love the most are the rare moments of sweetness between the two leads,” Nanjiani explained to EW. “They spend so much of the movie bickering that the hints of what they used to be are my favorite.”
Both of The Lovebirds' lead stars will be very busy this year. Rae's Emmy-nominated series Insecure is slated to return for its fourth season after a year-long hiatus, and the showrunner is also starring in the romantic drama The Photograph alongside Sorry to Bother You's Lakeith Stanfield. She's also working to expand her newly launched record label Raedio in addition to being the new voice of Google Assistant.
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Nanjiani's 2020 schedule is nothing to scoff at either; the comedic actor will be taking his talents (and his six pack) to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a cast member in the star-packed ensemble of The Eternals. In the forthcoming Phase Four film, Nanjiani will play Sunen, a godlike superhero with expert-level swordsmanship. He will be joined by the likes of Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Bryan Tyree Henry, Gemma Chan, and Game of Thrones alums Richard Madden and Kit Harrington in the movie.
The Lovebirds is set to hit theaters on April 3, 2020. Check out the trailer below.
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