--- title: "In a New Movie, COVID Mutates and America Is Still Locked Down in 2024" description: "We just got our first look at an upcoming COVID movie called \"Songbird,\" produced by the one and only Michael Bay — and it's a doozy." date: "2020-10-29" modified: "2020-10-29" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/movie-songbird-covid-mutates-locked-down-2024" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Medical" - "Pathogens" - "Viruses" tags: - "coronavirus" - "covid19" - "songbird" --- # In a New Movie, COVID Mutates and America Is Still Locked Down in 2024 ![We just got our first look at an upcoming movie called "Songbird," produced by the one and only Michael Bay — and it's a doozy.]() *\Image: STX Films\* We just got our first look at an upcoming COVID movie called "Songbird," produced by the one and only Michael Bay — and it's a doozy. https://twitter.com/Songbird/status/1321598517752733696 The film examines the current disaster that is 2020, and contemplates what it would be like to live under quarantine for another few years — until the year 2024, when the movie is set. Is this what "[four more years]()" could do to America? **The trailer** paints a gloomy picture of the near future. Basically, it sounds like the dystopian timeline that nobody wants to think about right now. https://youtu.be/PaumIOvp7mM Here's the premise. The number of deaths has risen to 110 million, caused by a "mutated" COVID-23 virus with a high mortality rate. Yes, dear reader, this is a movie the industry wants us to actually watch. Filmmakers Simon Boyes and Adam Mason wrote the outline for the story during lockdown this year, as [*Entertainment Weekly* reports](). Mason apparently called it a "crazy idea" when he pitched the idea to movie producer Adam Goodman. Surprising nobody, there will be a love story at the center of the film. "It’s Romeo and Juliet, but they’re separated by her front door and by the virus," Mason told *EW*. According to a press release, the protagonists of the story is an essential worker who has a rare immunity, played by teenage heartthrob KJ Apa, from "Riverdale" fame. Production kicked off on July 8 in Los Angeles, the first film to be made in the city since March, according to *EW*. Strict safety measures made filming complicated, with crews being limited to 40 or less. It took only 17 days to complete shooting the film. A major question remains: Who's this movie for? This is how Sofia Carson, who's playing the love interest, pitches the movie, despite the fact that anxiety is at an all time high across much of the globe: "Even though this is the pandemic thriller and it's suspenseful and terrifying, the heart of a story is hope," she told *EW*. **READ MORE:** [Get your first look at pandemic thriller Songbird, starring KJ Apa]() \[*Entertainment Weekly*\] ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()