'Contagion' Director Steven Soderbergh Is Leading The Committee To Safely Resume Film Production

With the exception of late night talk shows and animated projects that are being worked on remotely, Hollywood has otherwise shut down feature film and television production. But hopefully sometime soon, Tinseltown will be back at work. However, whenever the ball starts rolling again, it won't be business as usual, because the entertainment industry will have to slowly ease back into normalcy. That's why the Directors Guild of America has appointed Contagion director Steven Soderbergh to head up a committee that will explore the safest ways to resume production in order to help Hollywood recovery after coronavirus,

Variety has word on the Directors Guild of America assembling a committee that will start determining safe ways that Hollywood can return to work once the coronavirus pandemic slows down. The announcement came from DGA President Thomas Schlamme and National Executive Director Russell Hollander yesterday afternoon. Here's what they had to say about their intended efforts:

"A major concern we're hearing most right now is about when we'll be returning to work, and how we can be certain that it's safe to do so. Rest assured, this is something we've been spending a great deal of time thinking about as well. While we don't have an answer as to when production will resume, we are taking steps to address how we can be safe when it does happen. A National Board committee, spearheaded by Steven Soderbergh, and with members from all categories, has been appointed to do a thorough examination of the issues at hand, and to make recommendations to the Board. The committee is consulting with top epidemiologists in the field, and we will collaborate with our sister guilds and unions and the employers as we put together a comprehensive guide to help us all return safely to work."

But that's not all the Directors Guild of America is doing for the future of entertainment. There's another committee being formed that will concentrate on ensuring the return of the theatrical movie-going experience so that directors know their films will still have a home on the big screen when coronavirus is through. The DGA said:

"And speaking of when we all go back to work, a second National Board committee has been appointed to focus on preserving the communal theatrical experience so that when it is safe to do so, your feature films intended to be seen on a big screen will have that opportunity. The committee, comprised of feature film directors, assistant directors and unit production managers will begin working now to examine ways to promote that safe return to theatrical exhibition that's so important for our culture and our art."

Considering the fact that even major movie theater chains like AMC Theatres are in danger of being unable to open back up once movie theaters are allowed to resume business, it's nice to hear that the DGA will be exploring ways to save the movie theater industry. There's a chance some movie theaters may be opening this summer (Cinemark hopes to open some locations in July), but it all depends on how well the next few weeks go with social distancing. We don't want to create a second wave of the virus that extends our self-quarantining efforts even further, which will end up hurting the entertainment industry, and the economy overall, even more.