Netflix acquires Hitler comedy 'Look Who's Back'

Netflix has purchased the international rights to a new comedy about Adolph Hitler.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix will distribute Look Who's Back, a German comedy which became a surprise hit there and grossed $21.9 million. It takes place in present-day Berlin, following Hitler, who wakes up 70 years after his supposed death and finds himself in modern society. He's soon mistaken for a comedian who's great at impressions, with nobody realizing that he's genuinely Hitler.

Look Who's Back was filmed with the Sacha Baron Cohen style of mixing scripted sequences with real life encounters. It's based on the bestselling book of the same name, written by Timur Vermes. Netflix will distribute Look Who's Back in all territories outside of Europe, Benelux, Japan, Taiwan, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Though the idea of making a comedy about such a serious subject has touched a nerve with some, director David Wnendt says it's appropriate to laugh at even the most horrifying events in our history.

“Germans should be able to laugh at Hitler, rather than viewing him as a monster, because that relieves him of responsibility for his deeds and diverts attention from his guilt for the Holocaust,” Wnendt told the Guardian. “But it should be the type of laugh that catches in your throat and you’re almost ashamed when you realise what you’re doing.”

Wnendt said that although the film is comedic, it also highlights the real danger of there being a resurgence of this kind of extremism.

Look Who's Back will hit Netflix on April 9.