As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage much of the world (and most especially the United States) studios and networks are beginning to look to a future where the story of the crisis can be told. If you thought that no one would ever make a movie or show about this world-altering disaster then you are more wrong than the Boomers you know who refuse to wear masks in public.
Indeed, the first major COVID-19 drama project has been announced. Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People, The Trip) will be co-writing and directing a new television series about UK prime minister Boris Johnson’s battle with the coronavirus. For those who don’t know, not only did Johnson have to fight against the virus as a nation’s leader but he also contracted the virus himself and nearly died because of it. Winterbottom’s show will highlight Johnson’s rise to political prominence, the crisis against COVID-19 and his personal struggles to survive. That’s quite a lot to fit it into one series.
Look, I’m no fan of Johnson but you have to admit that this is one compelling story and Winterbottom is a good fit to direct. It does confirm that the film and TV industry is eager to start producing COVID-19 stories. We’re still in the midst of this catastrophe but that doesn’t mean these aren’t tales that deserve to be told. Eventually, I would like the American version of this story, a telling of the inner-workings of the government during the height of the crisis (we are still in the height, by the way. This thing is a long way from over). I don’t think any American counterpart to Winterbottom’s show should star President Trump, though, because he has done a downright criminal job of leading this country. But a TV series about Dr. Fauci or Dr. Birx? I could get behind that.
The bottom line is that Winterbottom’s story about Boris Johnson will be just the first of many. We are about to enter an era where a lot of movies and shows are directly influenced by the current crisis. The Age of COVID has begun.