Funny thing about the future: sometimes only Michael Cera has the power to control it. That, at least, is the premise of Steven Soderbergh’s surprise new series, Command Z, in which Cera stars as a floating head on a mission to rewrite history.
Soderbergh’s latest follows a trio of unlikely time travelers, recruited by Cera’s unnamed handler, for a mission of great importance. They’ll be going back to “America’s last inflection point,” the year 2023, to undo the past and create a brighter future. Their time travel method is not unlike the trippy mind hacking in Being John Malkovich, as our heroes can jump into the minds of people (and animals) and influence their thoughts and actions. Things get weird in a hurry, which is presumably how Soderbergh wants it.
The filmmaker has racked up quite a reputation as an experimental director. He’s known to shoot multiple projects back-to-back, and though he’s maintained a cushy partnership with Warner Bros., he’s not afraid to produce films or shows on a much smaller scale. That’s how we got Unsane, the psych thriller shot entirely with iPhones. Soderbergh seems to be taking a similar route with Command Z: the new show will premiere exclusively through Soderbergh’s production company, Extension 765.
Soderbergh announced the new project through Extension 765’s website by dropping a trailer. Extension 765 also shared a few details about the project in a newsletter update:
“I think by now you’re used to me describing the somewhat mercurial behavior of our boss, Mr/Dr Soderbergh ... This very morning, our fearful leader explained that in three days (July 17th for those who don’t want to do the math) we will be “dropping” a series of some sort called Command Z. If I seem hedgy, it’s because A) None of us have seen it; and B) it’s apparently about ninety minutes long, but there are eight episodes of varying length, so is it an actual series or just a movie cut up into pieces?”
Command Z comes hot on the heels of Soderdergh’s latest project, Full Circle. While you’ll need a subscription to Max to catch Full Circle, Soderbergh is dropping all eight episodes of Command Z on the Extension 765 website. The filmmaker is keeping further details under wraps, but with the series coming so soon, curious fans won’t have much longer to wait.
Command Z premieres July 17 on Extension765.com.
Correction: A previous version of this article stated that Command Z would be streaming for free. It will not be free, but details have not yet been released on whether the streaming platform will have a subscriber fee or other costs for viewers.
