Steven Soderbergh at the helm of a deadly virus picture? F*ckin’ Christmas in February it would seem!
The Playlist has just sung a tune that Scott Z. Burns’ script for CONTAGION, an action thriller about the outbreak of a deadly virus, is so damn good that Soderbergh has rifled everything off his desk (including a long lingering Liberace biopic) so he can tackle the film as his next directorial effort. Not only that, the dude is lining up a cadre of A-list thespians. Peep it…
Word is Matt Damon, Jude Law, Kate Winslet and Marion Cotillard are all in current signing negotiations to play a part in the film. That’s two Oscar winning hotties, with another 4 acting noms gone to the leading lads (remember, Damon won a writing Oscar for GOOD WILL HUNTING). All this for a deadly virus picture? Hopefully it’ll top OUTBREAK, ay?
Said to boast a multi-faceted narrative spanning 4 continents (similar to Soderbergh’s TRAFFIC), CONTAGION is being co-funded by Participant Productions, and will start lensing this fall as soon as complete funding is secured.
Burns also wrote THE INFORMANT and THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, two successful Damon-Soderbergh collaborations.
So what do you all think about this project? Dig the casting?