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It’s ironic that the release of Netflix’s The Electric State coincided with the theatrical debut of Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag. Films like The Electric State — poorly received mega-budget tent poles starring A-listers — usually inspire complaints about the lack of studio-led original films that are released theatrically. But Black Bag fits the bill, and yet, not enough people showed up to support it in cinemas. The espionage thriller had a disappointing debut last week and is still struggling to recover its reported production budget. Black Bag will soon be released on PVOD, which suggests that Universal always intended for it to appeal to audiences at home.

In cases like this, a film’s theatrical run is primarily used as a publicity tool for its eventual PVOD release. Black Bag has generated around $15 million domestically so far, and another $9 million from overseas markets, for a cumulative global haul of $24 million.

It seems releasing two films (“Presence” and “Black Bag”), wrapping production on another (“The Christophers”), and writing a book on the making of “Jaws” isn’t enough to keep Steven Soderbergh busy. Speaking in a recent interview with Variety, Soderbergh shared that he and “Contagion” screenwriter Scott Z. Burns have discussed putting together a sequel to their 2011 public health thriller, and the subject of microplastics struck a chord.

“There’s certainly a case to be made, especially in the West, for the long-term effects, environmentally, of what we eat, what we breathe. As is well known, we have plastic in our blood now. It’s in our brains,” said Soderbergh. “This is a new thing that’s got to have a pretty serious effect. There’s lots of possibilities.”

“Contagion” features an all-star cast that includes Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Elliott Gould.

Steven Soderbergh almost didn’t make “Black Bag.”

When he and “Jurassic Park” writer David Koepp first began collaborating, Koepp brought Soderbergh a handful of ideas. One of those was “Black Bag.” Soderbergh didn’t spark to the concept, instead choosing to focus on “Presence,” a ghost story that premiered at Sundance in 2024 and was released by Neon earlier this year.

Soderbergh said that he still encouraged Koepp to write it. “It was more of a case of, Dude, just write it. My immediate interest was more in seeing him get it done than it being something that I could then direct,” Soderbergh told TheWrap during a wide-ranging interview that touched on everything from the making of “Black Bag” to the difficulty of getting adult dramas in theaters to why he’s not directing the next “Ocean’s” movie.

When the screenwriter finally did write “Black Bag” and sent it to Soderbergh,...

Jessica Gunning, the standout star from 2024’s Netflix miniseries Baby Reindeer,has been cast in another dark comedic role, per Deadline. The Emmy and Golden Globe winner will join Sir Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings), Michaela Coel (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), and James Corden (Cats) in the dark comedy, The Christophersfrom Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh.

The Christophers will begin production later this month in London. It follows the story of the estranged children of a once-famous artist who hire a forger to complete his unfinished works so that they may be discovered and sold after his death. The film’s script is written by Ed Solomon, who collaborated with Soderbergh on No Sudden Move (2021)and the Max miniseries Full Circle (2023).

RelatedSteven Soderbergh on How a Reality Ghost Story Show With Carrie Fisher Inspired His Newest Movie

One of the Oscar-winning director's favorite shows is a ghost-centric reality show...

Exclusive: Jessica Gunning has been tapped to join Ian McKellen, Michaela Cole, and James Corden in The Christophers, rounding out the quadruple leading cast for Steven Soderbergh’s dark comedy.

This marks Gunning’s first new role announced after her Emmy win for her role as Martha in Netflix’s Baby Reindeer. The seven-part stalker drama, created by and starring Richard Gadd, was a standout at this past year’s Emmys, with additional awards won in Outstanding Limited Series and Writing for a Limited Series, and also brought Gunning a Golden Globe, among other accolades.

Shooting this month in London, The Christophers follows the estranged children of a once-famous artist who hire a forger to complete his unfinished works so they can be discovered and sold after his death. Script is by Ed Solomon, Soderbergh’s collaborator on projects like No Sudden Move and Full Circle.

Department M, run by Michael Schaefer and Mike Larocca,...

Can you feel a “Presence?”

The new haunted house thriller from director Steven Soderbergh and writer David Koepp, who last collaborated on 2022’s pandemic-era thriller “Kimi,” stars Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan and Callina Liang, with a notably chaotic cameo from Julia Fox as a realtor. It premiered at last year’s Sundance Film Festival to a rapturous response and is now ready for consumption by the masses.

But how do you watch “Presence” anyway? Read on to find out.

When does “Presence” come out?

“Presence” will be released on Jan. 24.

Is “Presence” streaming or in theaters?

“Presence” is being released theatrically by Neon. That’s a good thing. This is the kind of movie you want to see with a bunch of strangers. You can all partake in the symphony of screams!

Who is in the “Presence” cast?

Sullivan, Liu and Liang are the main players in “Presence,” along with the aforementioned Fox appearance,...

Director Steven Soderbergh released his annual "Seen, Read" list of all the movies, TV shows, plays, books, and more he consumed in 2024. The famous helmer of Sex, Lies, and Videotape and Ocean's Eleven consumed a massive amount of content. But you'd be surprised to learn that the man who was once nominated for two movies for Best Director in one year watched the prequest Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (twice), Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith.

Soderbergh is known to be one of the busiest directors / producers / cinematographers in Hollywood, oftentimes directing and releasing multiple films per year. As an example, in 2023 alone, he directed Magic Mike's Last Dance and multiple episodes of TV shows, Command Z and Full Circle. Yet he also finds the time to watch and read dozens of films, shows, and books.

While he has one film set for 2025, the spy thriller Black Bag...

Writer and executive producer Ed Solomon, whose extensive list of credits includes the “Men in Black” and “Bill & Ted” film series, has signed with London and L.A.-based management and production company 42.

Solomon’s upcoming projects include Steven Soderbergh’s “The Christophers,” set to star Ian McKellen, Michaela Coel and James Corden and about the estranged children of a once-famous artist who hire a forger to complete his unfinished works so they can be discovered and sold after his death. Production is due to start in early 2025. Solomon is also developing “The Spot,” a psychological thriller which he created and is executive producing. Kate Winslet is attached to lead the A24 series, about a successful surgeon and her school teacher husband who suspect she might be responsible for a child’s hit-and-run death. It’s due to premiere in summer 2026 on Hulu.

Solomon is best known for writing...

Steven Soderbergh has two films coming out in the first quarter of 2025 with the haunted-house thriller “Presence” and the espionage caper “Black Bag”. The latter stars Cate Blanchett in her first Soderbergh-directed joint since 2006’s black-and-white noir homage “The Good German,” while Fassbender starred in Soderbergh’s 2011 “Haywire.” Watch the trailer for “Black Bag,” in which Blanchett and Fassbender are married spies playing games with each other.

Per Focus Features, the film is “a gripping spy drama about legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse and his beloved wife Kathryn. When she is suspected of betraying the nation, George faces the ultimate test — loyalty to his marriage or his country.”

‘Black Bag’Claudette Barius/Focus Features

The cast of the film also includes Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris, Pierce Brosnan, and Tom Burke. “Black Bag” shot in London last year. and is produced by Casey Silver and Gregory Jacobs. The screenplay hails from David Koepp,...

Steven Soderbergh is kicking off 2025 with quite a busy streak. His 2024 Sundance premiere, the ghost story Presence, arrives at the end of January while his new spy thriller Black Bag will get a release on March 14, and in between he begins production on The Christophers, a new dark comedy starring Ian McKellen, Michaela Coel, and James Corden.

As for Black Bag, Focus Features has dropped the trailer today for the film reuniting Soderbergh with screenwriter David Koepp (Kimi) and starring a mix of past and new collaborators with Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page, and Pierce Brosnan.

Here’s the synopsis: “From Director Steven Soderbergh, Black Bag is a gripping spy drama about legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse and his beloved wife Kathryn. When she is suspected of betraying the nation, George faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country.”

See the trailer below.