Michael Bay and former Paramount Pictures chief Adam Goodman have teamed up to produce a pandemic-themed thriller called Songbird.
The rapid spread of COVID-19 across the country has caused the immediate shutdown of the box office, and the production of many Hollywood movies have been halted due to health risks. Goodman, who now heads Invisible Narratives, and Bay, whose latest was Netflix's 6 Underground last year, plan to use the newly quiet streets of Los Angeles to their advantage, utilizing the lockdown toward the movie's theme. Director Adam Mason and longtime co-writer Simon Boyes will also be providing training for the actors of the movie remotely. Casting is currently underway.
According to Deadline, the movie is set to take place two years into the future. The lockdown is still in place, and while there doesn't appear to be any paranormal aspects to it, there will apparently be some foul play by the government involved to create the central conflict. Songbird is said to be inspired by eerie thriller movies like Paranormal Activity and Cloverfield, so it might be shot in a "found footage" style like them as well. The horror subgenre utilizes first-person, shaky camcorder aesthetics.
It will also reportedly be shot in isolated settings, never having several people in the room at one time to further carry the themes of social distancing. The directors plan to try and have no scenes shot where actors are standing face-to-face with each other.
Songbird will be a low budget film, and funding is currently underway. Production for the film plans to begin in five weeks.
