Steven Soderbergh Secretly Filmed New Sci-Fi Series Starring Michael Cera

Michael Cera is having quite a big summer. Not only was he featured in the Black Mirror episode “Jane Is Awful,” but he’ll soon be seen in the highly-anticipated Barbie movie. Turns out, the Scott Pilgrim star also secretly filmed a new sci-fi series with director Steven Soderbergh. The project is titled Command Z but was originally billed under the name The Pendulum Project. You can read a description of the series below…

“Michael Cera stars as a scientist who tasks his employees with a ‘historic’ mission to travel back in time to revise history and save the world. The futuristic sci-fi series hinges on a ‘wormhole in a washing machine’ to redo the past to hopefully save the (future) present.” Command Z is a satire and is expected to be released in eight parts that total 90 minutes. The series also stars Roy Wood Jr. and Liev Schreiber. Soderbergh recently shared the first trailer on his website, which you can view here.

According to IndieWire, Command Z was independently financed by Soderbergh outside of his overall deal with Warner Bros. and HBO. Starting July 17th, the series will be available exclusively on Soderbergh’s production company website, Extension 765. The project was reportedly filmed between Magic Mike’s Last Dance and Soderbergh’s new Max series, Full Circle. 

What Is Full Circle?

Full Circle is a new original series that debuted on Max on July 13th. From director Steven Soderbergh and writer Ed Solomon, Full Circle is a six-episode series that features an investigation into a botched kidnapping, that uncovers long-held secrets connecting multiple characters and cultures in present-day New York City. 

Full Circle stars Zazie Beetz, Claire Danes, Jim Gaffigan, Jharrel Jerome, Timothy Olyphant, CCH Pounder, Phaldut Sharma, Adia, Sheyi Cole, Gerald Jones, Suzanne Savoy, Ethan Stoddard, Lucian Zanes and Dennis Quaid. Joining Steven Soderbergh is Ed Solomon as writer and executive producer. Full Circle is executive produced by Soderbergh, Solomon, and Casey Silver.

Soderbergh Addresses AI:

“I may be the Neville Chamberlain of this subject, but I am not afraid of A.I. in this specific context. It has no life experience,” Soderbergh told Variety. “It’s never been hungover. It’s never made a meal for anybody it loved. It’s never been scared walking home late at night. It’s never felt insecure because somebody that it went to high school with 20 years ago has become incredibly successful. I’m not afraid of it. It’s just another tool. If it helps you finish a first draft of a script, great. But can it finish that thing and make it great on its own? Absolutely not. As of today, it is not keeping me up at night.”

Command Z is coming to Extension 765’s website on July 17th.