Bird Box Barcelona Directors Reveal if They Considered a Sandra Bullock Cameo (Exclusive)

By Jamie Lovett

Bird Box Barcelona attempts to expand the hit Netflix Original Film Bird Box into a franchise without being a direct sequel. However, for fans wondering if original Bird Box star Sandra Bullock was ever considered for an appearance in Bird Box Barcelona, the answer is "no." That comes straight from co-directors David and Álex Pastor, who spoke to ComicBook.com's Chris Killian about Bird Box Barcelona before the movie's debut on Netflix this weekend. They confirmed that there were no discussions about bringing Bullock back in even a cameo role, saying that the unusual freedom to create a standalone movie in this established universe is part of what attracted them to the project. 

"No, I don't think that was ever discussed," David Pastor says. "I mean, the beauty about doing this sort of expansion of the franchise was that we had absolute freedom to just do whatever we wanted. We were not tied to the original movie beyond respecting the rules of the world and making sure that the movie was consistent with what happened in the first movie. But beyond that, we really had the freedom to come up with an original story that could stand on its own two feet, and that was one of the things that actually, as directors, attracted us to the project,  this idea that you don't even have to have watched the original Bird Box to enjoy this movie, to be honest. I think it helps. I think that if you have watched the original probably then you get a fuller picture, and it makes the whole thing, maybe, more enjoyable, but it's also a standalone movie on its own."

Though seeing the original Bird Box may not be required for enjoying Bird Box Barcelona, at least some of its cast did see and enjoy it. That includes star Mario Casas.

"I did see the first part, and I was a fan. It was a real gift when I was offered the project in the beginning. Even without reading the script," Casas told ComicBook.com in a separate interview about Bird Box Barcelona. "I mean, it's to be a part of a film like this. I've been mainly in smaller projects and here, I love the project and I love it having deep layered characters."

What is Bird Box Barcelona about?

The original Bird Box proved a hit for Netflix when it debuted over the 2018 holiday. Made on a budget of only $19.8 million, the horror movie's straightforward premise – there exist mysterious creatures horrifying enough to cause someone to kill themselves at the mere sight of one – generated lots of buzz among Netflix users. The film's strong cast helped, including Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, Sarah Paulson, and John Malkovich.

According to Netflix's official synopsis for Bird Box Barcelona, "From the producers of the global phenomenon, Bird Box, comes Bird Box Barcelona, an expansion of the film that riveted audiences in 2018. After a mysterious force decimates the world's population, Sebastian must navigate his own survival journey through the desolate streets of Barcelona. As he forms uneasy alliances with other survivors and they try to escape the city, an unexpected and even more sinister threat grows."

Bird Box Barcelona brings together characters who speak different languages. While speaking to ComicBook.com, Bird Box Barcelona star Georgina Campbell expressed how challenging it was to act across languages.

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"It was tough. I found it really tough," Campbell admitted. "There were some scenes we had where there were lots of people in the scene speaking Spanish, and I speak English pretty much the whole film...so those big scenes where everyone was speaking Spanish, when we first started doing them, I would miss my cue every time, becuase I wouldn't be able to follow what everyone was saying, it would go so quick. Also, I didn't know who people were, people were improvising, I have no idea what's going on. So figuring out how to get those cues, which I started doing little visual tricks with...and having to think about things in that way."

Álex and David Pastor wrote and directed Bird Box Barcelona as a spin-off sequel to 2018's original Bird Box movie on Netflix, based on Josh Malerman's 2014 novel, also titled Bird Box. Released on Netflix on July 14th, Bird Box Barcelona stars Mario Casas, Naila Schuberth, Georgina Campbell, and Diego Calva.

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