Pandemic Thriller Songbird Forgoing Theatrical Release for Digital

November 16, 2020

With theaters still mostly shut down across the country, STXfilms has announced that its forthcoming pandemic thriller Songbird will be skipping a theatrical release in favor of a premium video-on-demand debut in December followed by an unspecified streaming service in 2021.

“The pandemic has affected every aspect of our business, from production to release, but Songbird demonstrates that a nimble studio like STX can find effective and profitable ways to make their movies work, as we have similarly with Greenland and My Spy during these challenging times,” Adam Fogelson, STXfilms Motion Picture Group Chairman, said in a statement. “The show must go on. Songbird is a thrilling movie that will speak to audiences in this moment as it keeps them on the edge of their seats.”

In the terrifying thriller Songbird, the COVID-23 virus has mutated and the world is in its fourth year of lockdown. Infected Americans are ripped from their homes and forced into quarantine camps known as Q-Zones, from which there is no escape, as a few brave souls fight back against the forces of oppression. Amid this dystopian landscape, a fearless courier, Nico (KJ Apa), who’s immune to the deadly pathogen, finds hope and love with Sara (Sofia Carson), though her lockdown prohibits them from physical contact. When Sara is believed to have become infected, Nico races desperately across the barren streets of Los Angeles in search of the only thing that can save her from imprisonment … or worse.

In addition to KJ Apa and Sofia Carson, the call sheet for the film is said to feature an ensemble cast that includes Demi Moore (Corporate Animals), Bradley Whitford (Godzilla: King of the Monsters), Craig Robinson (What We Do in the Shadows), Alexandra Daddario (We Summon the Darkness), Paul Walter Hauser (Da 5 Bloods) and Peter Stormare (American Gods).

Songbird is directed by Adam Mason (Into the Dark) from a script written by Mason and Simon Boyes. Bay is producing alongside Adam Goodman and Andrew Eben Davidson of Invisible Narratives, who are also financing the project. The film is also produced by Catchlight Studios’ Jeanette Volturno, Jason Clark, and Marcei Brown with Michael Kase and Invisible Narratives’ Eben Davidson set as executive producers.

The film was the first to go into production in Los Angeles as the real pandemic lockdown was slowly lifted and the imposition of new safety restrictions made it possible for Hollywood to start slowly resume filming. Songbird is set to hit digital platforms for a 48-hour rental period on Friday, December 11, followed by a release on a major streaming service in 2021.