During an appearance on theHappy, Sad, Confusedpodcast, director Steven Soderbergh announced that he andContagionscreenwriter Scott Z Burns will be collaborating on a new film that will be a “philosophical” sequel to their 2011 movie, exploring similar territory in a different context.
Soderbergh describesContagionand the unnamed new film as paired, “but very different hair colors,” stating that he and Burns had been discussing what the next iteration of aContagion-type story would be. While the project is in very early stages, Soderbergh confirms that they are working on it, and added thatdue to the current state of the world, they should “probably hot-foot it a little bit.”
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Contagion, starring big names such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, and Matt Damon, follows several overlapping storylines occurring during the spread of a global virus. It covers the start of the virus, the attempts to identify and contain it, the loss of social order, and the introduction of a vaccine. The movie came back into the public consciousness at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. It stood out for its realistic handling of a pandemic,with even star Kate Winslet stating this yearthat it was so well-researched that “the story is alarmingly accurate.”
It’s no surprise that Soderbergh and Burns want to create a similar project for a world that is currently experiencing a real-life pandemic. In 2o20, virus and pandemic themed television shows, movies,and even video gameshave experienced a surge in popularity. Many people are interested in how art can reflect real life, especially with projects that used real disease experts as consultants. It can also be interesting to see the virus taken to extremes with stories about zombies or dystopian futures, for example.
Others have no interest in seeing a pandemic reflected back at them while experiencing it. Michael Bay’sSongbird,about a fictional mutation of COVID-19 and conceptualized, filmed, and released during the pandemic,faced criticisms before it even started filming. Movies and shows that are more overdramatized and romanticized can especially be seen as insensitive during a real-life pandemic. If Soderbergh wants to create a sort-of sequel toContagionthat works when made in a post-pandemic world, it has to be well handled in terms of research, creativity, and timing.
