While some filmmakers choose to disengage from the industry when they’re not behind the camera, letting most cinematic experiences pass them by, Steven Soderbergh loves to fill whatever free time he’s afforded by exploring a wealth of books, movies, TV series, and other forms of media to help inform and inspire his creative output for the coming year. Thankfully, rather than keep his list a secret, Soderbergh is here to share his annual Seen, Read compendium, providing fans and industry lurkers with a behind-the-scenes snapshot of his entertainment habits throughout the year.
Soderbergh feels the Force
Studying the list, we find the Academy Award-winning filmmaker traveling to a galaxy far, far away with several Star Wars titles, presumably to help the director gear up for the scrapped The Hunt for Ben Solo project he was going to shoot with Adam Driver, as written by Contagion writer Scott Z. Burns. Alas, the Ben Solo project is no longer in development. Still, at least Soderbergh felt the power of the Force during February, with revisits of The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker.
Soderbergh is gonna need a bigger boat
Continuing down the list, Soderbergh got back in the water with Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. Spielberg’s 1975 masterpiece is a frequent rewatch for Soderbergh, as the film appears to be not just a favorite, but a film that orients his focus, a North Star in a sky littered with glittering cinematic gems.
If you look closely, you’ll also see a listing for something called Production 02074, which, according to Soderbergh’s own email from his Extensions 765 website, is the Jaws project he’s been working on. Is it a new film? A documentary? Not quite. According to The Playlist, Production 02074 is the book Soderbergh’s been working on for several years.
Steven Soderbergh’s Seen, Read 2025 list reveal
Here’s Soderbergh’s complete Seen, Read 2025 list below with the legend attached:
All caps, bold: MOVIE
All caps, bold, asterisk: SHORT*
All caps: TV SERIES
Italics: Book
Quotation marks: “Play”
Italics, quotation marks: “Short Story”
SEEN, READ 2025
01/01 The Possession, Annie Ernaux, AVIICI I’M TIM
01/02 The Making of Star Wars, A.J. Rinzler, THE MAKING OF THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (B&W)
01/03 THE AGENCY, 2025 WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP
01/04 HARD TRUTHS
01/05 THE GODFATHER
01/06 Stranger Than Fiction: Lives of the Twentieth Century Novel, Edwin Frank
01/08 SKELETON CREW (5), Artemisia Gentileschi, Jonathan Jones
01/10 Ready When You Are, Mr. Coppola, Mr. Spielberg, Mr. Crowe, Jerry Ziesmer, BFI Modern Classics: JAWS, Antonia Quirke, A DIFFERENT MAN
01/11 SKELETON CREW (2), THE AGENCY, SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D’ETAT
01/12 Playworld, Adam Ross, BFI Film Classics: THE SERVANT, Amy Sargeant
01/14 THE SERVANT
01/15 DUEL
01/17 BFI Modern Classics: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, Dana Polan
01/20 Confessions of a Rock and Roll Name-Dropper, Laurie Kaye, THE GREATEST NIGHT IN POP, SKELETON CREW
01/21 At Mrs. Lippincote’s, Elizabeth Taylor, THE AGENCY
01/22 BFI Film Classics: LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD,, Jean-Louis Leutrat
01/24 LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD,, THE AGENCY
01/25 AUSTRALIA OPEN WOMEN’S FINAL,THE STING,THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK,THE HAUNTING (’63)
01/26 AUSTRALIA OPEN MEN’S FINAL,Conversations with Peter Brook,Margaret Croyden
01/28 Bresson on Bresson: Interviews 1943-1983
01/29 PASSAGE TO MARSEILLE
02/01I’MSTILL HERE
02/07 Begin principal photography onTHE CHRISTOPHERS
02/09 STAR WARS:THE FORCE AWAKENS
02/10 STAR WARS:THE LAST JEDI
02/15 STAR WARS:THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
02/20 Caucasia,Dandy Senna
02/21 THE INTERNECINE PROJECT
03/01 The Talent,Danny D’Addario
03/02 THE WHITE LOTUS (2)
03/12 THE WHITE LOTUS
03/13 THE CHRISTOPHERS
03/14 THE WHITE LOTUS ,The Transformation of Philip Jettan ,Georgette Heyer
03/15 Universality,Natasha Brown
03/18 THE WHITE LOTUS ,The Dream Hotel ,Laila Lalami
03/22 Things Fall Apart ,Chinua Achebe ,CLEANER ,A BODY IN THE SNOW:THE TRIAL OF KAREN READ (2)
03/23 A BODY IN THE SNOW:THE TRIAL OF KAREN READ (3),LEAVING NEVERLAND II
03/24 THE WHITE LOTUS ,SCAMS & SCANDALS:THE GOLDEN TOILET HEIST
03/25 Changing My Mind ,Julian Barnes
03/26 CON MUM
03/29 GOLD & GREED:THE HUNT FOR FENN’S TREASURE (3),Lucky Night ,Eliza Kennedy
03/30ONE TO ONE:JOHN & YOKO
03/31 The Reluctant Widow ,Georgette Heyer
04/03 Sister Europe,Nell Zink ,ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN
04/04 “The Seagull” Anton Chekov
04/05 BLADE RUNNER 2049
04/07 THE WHITE LOTUS
04/08 Audition,Katie Kitamura ,THE SOCIAL NETWORK
04 /09 SE7EN ,THE CHRISTOPHERS
04 /10 BLACK MIRROR (2)
04 /11 BLACK MIRROR (3)
04 /13 Ultramarine ,Mariette Navarro
04 /15 The Premonitions Bureau ,Sam Knight
04 /17 HACKS (2) ,BLACK MIRROR
04 /18 The Nonesuch ,Georgette Heyer ,BLACK MIRROR
04 /19 HACKS ,BECOMING LED ZEPPELIN
04 /20PANIC ROOM
04 /21 Private Citizen,Tony Tulathimutte,CAS T A DARK SHADOW
04 /23 ANDOR (3)
04 /24 CARLOS ALCARAZ : MY WAY (3)
04 /25 HACKS
04 /27 AHOY! *
04 /28 Dream Count ,Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie,
T H E SUGARLAND EXPRESS strong >
T H E SUGARLAND EXPRESS strong >
T H E SUGARLAND EXPRESS strong >
T H E SUGARLAND EXPRESS strong >
T H E SUGARLAND EXPRESS strong >
T H E SUGARLAND EXPRESS strong >
T H E SUGARLAND EXPRESS strong >
T H E SUGARLAND EXPRESS strong >
T H E SUGARLAND EXPRESS strong >
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Extension 765, The Playlist
