Steven Soderbergh explores AI-generated Contagion sequel as screenwriter Scott Z. Burns turns to artificial intelligence for inspiration, unveiling the project on the new Audible podcast, What Could Go Wrong? In a recently released audio preview, the innovative process behind this potential sequel is revealed, placing Soderbergh at the center of an experiment that merges technology with creative filmmaking.
AI-Powered Sequel Pitched to the Contagion Team
As audiences rediscovered Soderbergh’s 2012 thriller Contagion during the COVID-19 pandemic, Scott Z. Burns began contemplating a modern continuation using advanced technology. Burns engaged a British-accented AI chatbot, Lexter, to brainstorm ideas, resulting in a chilling sequel pitch built around alarming levels of microplastics found within the human body. Bringing his idea to Soderbergh—his previous collaborator on films such as The Informant!, Side Effects, and The Laundromat—Burns introduced the new concept, prompting the veteran director to probe the AI for additional story details.
The What Could Go Wrong? podcast documents this unique development process. Alongside Soderbergh and Burns, the series features insights from veterans like Laurence Fishburne and Jennifer Ehle, noted writers Nick Bilton, Matt Belloni, and Sarah Nolen, renowned musicians Cliff Martinez and Broken Social Scene’s Ted Hope and Kevin Drew, and leading technological and epidemiological voices—including Joanne Jeng, Meredith Whittaker, Dr. Larry Brilliant, Dr. Ian Lipkin, Dr. Michael Osterholm, Dr. Shanna Swan, and science journalist Laurie Garrett. The project raises questions not only about storytelling but also about the evolving dynamics between AI and creative professionals.
The Original Contagion: A Prescient Global Thriller
Released in 2012, Contagion stars Matt Damon as Mitch Emhoff, whose life is upended when his wife, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, succumbs rapidly to a mysterious illness after a business trip. The pathogen soon spreads, escalating into a worldwide pandemic that claims millions of lives. A cast of scientists, including characters portrayed by Laurence Fishburne, Jennifer Ehle, Kate Winslet, and Marion Cotillard, races to halt the outbreak’s advance, while a conspiracy theorist—played by Jude Law—propagates misinformation that worsens the catastrophe. Contagion’s lifelike depiction of a pandemic proved eerily relevant when the world confronted COVID-19, prompting the film’s resurgence in popularity.
The Creators Behind the Audible Podcast
Scott Z. Burns has extensive experience in film and television, having written and directed dramas like Pu-238 and the political thriller The Report. He recently served as executive producer for Dune: Prophecy and has been tapped to write Luca Guadagnino’s remake of American Psycho. This collaboration sees him once again working alongside Steven Soderbergh, drawing from a shared history on projects such as The Laundromat.
The Audible-exclusive series What Could Go Wrong? debuts on June 11, chronicling not only the AI-driven sequel process but also the perspectives of those who have shaped both the film and wider cultural understanding of pandemics. The cast assembled for both the original film and the podcast includes stars like Gwyneth Paltrow and Tien You Chui, and the project is further enriched by voices from across the disciplines of science, music, and journalism.
The Future of AI in Storytelling
This unprecedented approach, with Soderbergh and Burns engaging AI to shape a potential Contagion sequel, marks a new chapter in filmmaking and narrative development. The involvement of epidemiologists such as Dr. Michael Osterholm and Dr. Shanna Swan, along with technological experts like Joanne Jeng and Meredith Whittaker, highlights the depth of real-world expertise influencing the discussion. As What Could Go Wrong? chronicles these efforts, the outcome may affect not only the future of the Contagion story but also the broader relationship between creative industries and artificial intelligence. Audiences eager for answers and further developments can follow the podcast, as it aims to address whether AI-driven storytelling can become part of Hollywood’s next chapter.
