Director Steven Soderbergh recently explained why a sequel to his 2011 medical thriller Contagion likely won’t be happening.
Why won’t Contagion 2 happen?
In a recent interview with The Playlist, Soderbergh discussed the possibility of a sequel. Although 2011’s Contagion was successful upon its release and gained renewed popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Soderbergh believes there is one significant reason a sequel will not occur.
Soderbergh mentioned that discussions about a sequel took place in the past, but no real progress was made.
“[Screenwriter] Scott [Z. Burns] and I kind of kicked some ideas around,” Soderbergh stated. “[But] it would be tough to go back to that idea for me because that was a really unique circumstance.”
“David Lean talked about not popping out of the same hole twice,” the director remarked. “I know I’m saying that as somebody who’s been involved with multiple Oceans movies and multiple Magic Mike movies. I don’t know how to mitigate that feeling of, like, we’ve done it before.”
The 2011 film depicts the outbreak and rapid spread of a highly contagious virus that leads to a global pandemic, while the search for a vaccine unfolds. The movie drew inspiration from real-life outbreaks such as SARS from 2002 to 2004 and the 2009 flu pandemic.
The film featured an ensemble cast including Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Ehle, and Sanaa Lathan.
(Source: The Playlist)
