The most popular writing meme going around during corona is the idea that Shakespeare wrote King Lear during a quarantine. So the pressure was on for everyone trying to write their way out of this situation...or just keep themselves distracted from the day to day depression. 

And we're pleased to learn that director Steven Soderbergh has finished writing his own "King Lear" quarantine project.


On yesterday's episode of Flaviar’s NightCap Live, Soderbergh revealed he has written a sequel to his 1989 breakthrough film, Sex, Lies, and Videotape.

Soderbergh details how the quarantine has affected his writing process—I won't hold you in suspense—it seemed to do the filmmaker good. Not only did he finish a total of 3 scripts in less than 2 months, but he also has plans to go forward with actually making his Sex, Lies, and Videotape sequel. He explains:

"During the lockdown, I’ve done more sustained writing than I’ve done since the summer of 1985. And it’s worth noting that I never considered myself a writer. I wrote as a way to get into the business because nobody can stop you from sitting down in front of a keyboard and writing. I grew up in a suburban subdivision in Baton Rouge, I had no connections to the film industry at all, and I just felt if I write, I may write something that somebody sees and reads and wants to make. So when the lockdown happened here in New York, in order to stay organized and sane, I decided I’m gonna write. I’ve gotta go back to writing. So within the first 6 or 7 weeks of the lockdown, I finished 3 screenplays. One of them was a rewrite, one of them was an original, and one was an adaptation of a novel that I’ve been wanting to do. The original was a sequel to Sex, Lies, and Videotape. It was an idea that had been circling for a while, and I felt like I came up with the way to get back in, and so I wrote it, and I wanna make it."

We didn't get much elaboration on plot and casting, but it's inspiring to know he's out there getting it done. 

The original Sex, Lies, and Videotape premiered at Cannes in 1989, winning that festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or.

So, this one has a lot to live up to. 

We can't wait to see what Soderbergh delivers.