Batman, Cruella De Vil, Spider-Man: these are just a few characters who have received — or will soon receive — an origin story on film. Hollywood just loves to show and tell how certain famous icons got their starts.
The same is true for the current coronavirus that is ravaging and changing the world forever. Even COVID-19 is getting a movie about how it all started. The film, which will be written, directed and produced by Oscar winner Charles Randolph (The Big Short, Bombshell) will focus on the “early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in China”.
SK Global will finance and produce the project, which is set to film in China, naturally.
Given Randolph’s previous films, this COVID-19 project will likely be a high-paced, highly-researched project that contains many characters and hops through many locations. That makes sense because, while the virus began in Wuhan, it quickly affected all of China. I’m intrigued by the premise and on board to see what Randolph puts together. Even though things are coronavirus 24/7 currently, we will don’t have a super clear picture about how this virus began and how it became the monster it is. I am hopeful that Randolph gives a sober, knowledgeable yet entertaining look at how things got to this point.
Speaking of COVID, AMC Theatres just announced that they will in fact not open their locations on July 15 as planned because, well, you know. So the new plan is to open theaters on July 30, right before Russell Crowe’s Unhinged opens. But, as you and I both know, there is a very good chance that date changes too. If one thing is reliable during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s the unreliability of everything.