The movie Contagion garnered a lot of popularity in 2020, but that's not enough of a reason to make a sequel, which is reportedly in the works. The original pandemic-thriller film, directed by Steven Soderbergh, was released in 2011, well before the destructive coronavirus - COVID-19 - established itself across the globe nine years later. The plot of Contagion centers on a variety of ensemble cast members who are all dealing with the onset of a deadly virus. The disease is transmitted by respiratory droplets and fomites, and throughout the movie, medical researchers and health officials attempt to identify it and find a way to end the spread. As the plot rolls on, more and more people get sick, and the world sees a loss of social order.
Among the A-list cast members in the 2011 pandemic movie are Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Ehle, and Sanaa Lathan. To keep track of and interweave and multiple plot lines that occur in the movie, Soderbergh used a multi-narrative "hyperlink" style form of storytelling. As it turns out, the virus part of the story was inspired by real-life events like the 2002-2004 SARS outbreak and the 2009 flu pandemic. Little did the filmmakers know how relevant their movie would become in 2020.
At the onset of the COVID-19 crisis in early 2020, many U.S. movie watchers turned to relatable stories about disease and pandemics. Included in that array of movies was Outbreak, The Andromeda Strain, and Pandemic, as well as zombie movies like I Am Legend and World War Z. But Contagion was at the top of the list for many, with its popularity spiking on services like Prime video, FandangoNOW, and iTunes. It's worth mentioning that the movie features a different disease that is certainly much deadlier than the coronavirus; the filmmakers had to depict the virus in this terrifying way for dramatic effect. So, perhaps viewers were watching this film as a way to try to escape their own reality and convince themselves that things could actually be much worse.
Indeed, the 2011 virus movie was extremely popular at the onset and height of the public health crisis in 2020. But, as the year crawled on, the movie's views started to fall. People in the U.S. and across the world became burnt out as the pandemic proved it wasn't going away anytime soon. People were no longer turning to disease-related movies like Contagion - which also contained a lot of accurate virus elements - as a form of solace. Even Kate Winslet urged her family members not to watch it. So, a Contagion sequel surely doesn't sound like the best idea as the year comes to a halt and a new one begins. Nevertheless, Soderbergh has stated, according to IndieWire, that he and Contagion screenwriter Scott Burns are working on a "philosophical" sequel to the film. The movie, reportedly, won't be a direct sequel to the previous one, but Soderbergh has said it will encompass similar motifs and ideas.
The idea of a potential Contagion sequel is possibly being developed based off of the temporary boom in popularity of the original movie this year. But, it could be argued that a sequel would feel exploitative - and even unethical - rather than exciting. The horror genre is often known to offer commentary on real-world matters, so some might say now is the perfect time for a sequel, especially one that features a deadlier viral outbreak that would would make viewers feel less scared of their current situation. However, more often than not, movies in the pandemic category do more harm than good; the fear they induce in people isn't temporary, but rather makes them paranoid during their everyday lives.
After living through the actual events of 2020, people surely don't need another retrospective look by Soderbergh at a disease outbreak. While there could be potential in a Contagion sequel, it might be best to wait until the current pandemic is further detached from the present narrative.