Do you know what you need right now? A fresh dose of Bayhem. At least, that’s what producer/director/pyrotechnics enthusiast Michael Bay thinks, as he’s gearing up to make a new film titled Songbird. Of course, what’s even more insane to comprehend is the fact that this movie is looking to film in the very near future. Like, say, in the next five weeks.
Deadline reports that Michael Bay has signed on to be one of Songbird’s producers, with writer/director Adam Mason and co-writer Simon Boyes set as the creative team. The film, set in the near future of two years from now, sees the coronavirus mutating after several waves of lockdowns and rollbacks have turned the crisis into a much more complicated matter. So if you’re one of those people who like to watch movies like Outbreak and Contagion in the middle of the current pandemic, it looks like you’re in luck.
In terms of being the first film to the pandemic crisis, Songbird has officially lost that crown to the indie film Corona, which was completed before the great lockdown. However, this Michael Bay-produced project could be the first movie to film in Los Angeles during a state of lockdown.
Other than the bare bones story details, there’s not much provided in the way of how exactly this movie will play out. That being said, there’s an interesting detail listed that might unlock just how this movie will work in the long run.
Songbird’s approach is being likened to two very specific film franchises: Paranormal Activity and Cloverfield. If this is any indication on how this movie is to play out, there could be large sequences of people chatting over found footage from group video calls. But, of course, this being a Michael Bay-produced film, there’s a possibility that there will be some venturing into the open air of Los Angeles, and there might be some explosions in this tale of supposed government conspiracy.
The production phase for Songbird is in the early days, and more than likely there will be a tight lid kept on top of this film’s story and cast. But in its own weird sort of way, it feels like it’s the right time to make a fictionalized version of what’s been going on in the world currently. It’s a catharsis that might help folks out in these dark, uncertain times. Also, if Mickey Rourke can finish a movie in the middle of the worldwide health crisis this pandemic has triggered, then anyone with the right guidelines and enough moxie to match that of Rourke surely has the right stuff to make it happen.
Songbird has no release date specified for the time being, but as soon as we’ve got an update on this project’s status, you can bet CinemaBlend will break that news as it happens.
