Hello Reddit! Steven Soderbergh here. The law says every six years I have to do an AMA, and it’s that time again! I’m MOSTLY here to talk about COMMAND Z but the A in AMA means we can go wherever our spirits—and your questions—take us….

Command Z?

As in undo in MacOS?

Exactly!

Do you regret letting Don Cheadle do a cockney accent for the Oceans trilogy?

Noop

First of all, love your work and have since Sex, Lies, & Videotape. Can you talk briefly about how you're able walk the tightrope between being an indie darling and working with A-list talent on a regular basis? I'm no longer in the business, but still have many friends who are, and watching them struggle to retain authenticity and a coherent vision in the face of an increasingly fractured marketplace is fascinating. Your ability to take big risks and maintain a consistent level of uncompromising quality is exemplary, particularly for someone as prolific as you've been for 30+ years.

You're kind to say so. It's clear I am the cockroach of this industry and will try to survive any version of it that comes along. For a director I think the ability to attract talent is key, so either your resume or your reputation (or both) should support that notion.

I find something about the oceans trilogy special, the music, the pacing, the comedic timing i cant put my finger on it, what do you think made it so special for people?

not sure...I can tell you that everyone was there for the right reasons, which helps. It's also fun to make something that's supposed to be FUN.

Hey Steven, any chance of a Logan Lucky sequel?

WELL, we had a prequel all teed up about how Joe Bang got thrown in jail, but when the movie didn't perform well enough to justify another go, we dropped the idea....

As a successful director with accomplishments in both television and film, is there a project you reflect on and wonder whether it would have been more fitting and beneficial in the opposite format? If so, what are the reasons behind this consideration?

Hmm. Good question. I think if CHE were made ten years later it might have been pitched as a series instead of two films.

I enjoy your lists of films you watch every year, though having read these lists for several years, have you considered watching a bit more world cinema?

Yeah, trying to make up for that this year....

Steven, I find it inspiring how you make so. many. movies. Mostly working with mid-level budgets too. What advice would you give to independent filmmakers like myself, in order to find success in creating all these movies while maintaining a work-life balance?

Ideally, you're part of a gang of friends who want to do the same thing (or at least want to work in the industry generally). It's fun and healthy to be part of a group that works on each other's projects. That being said, time to yourself--meaning no one can reach/bother you--is critical to avoiding burnout.

Hey Steven! Longtime fan :)

• What have you watched this year that you really loved?

• I've enjoyed all your work on HBO, No Sudden Move and Komi in particular. Now that David Zaslav has taken over WB/Discovery, how does that change your desire to continue working with the company, if at all?

• Ocean's 12 is my favorite of the Ocean's trilogy, and I routinely get called crazy for saying so. What should I say in response to such accusations?

• Your films always have such great musical scores. Which is your favorite, and why? Mine is Solaris.

Thanks for the questions, MARTY. Most recently, I'M A VIRGO really had my mouth hanging open. Insane.

My deal with Warner ended last December and was not renewed, which I don't take personally since these kinds of deals are sort of going away. I'd work there again if it were something I was excited about; I like the people I was working with.

They're just wrong. It happens.

SOLARIS is a great score. I've been so lucky with composers...the trick is having the music not merely mimicking what's happening onscreen, so that the combination of image and score becomes a THIRD thing....

Do you have a personal favorite film of yours?

Not being glib, but THE NEXT ONE. I always have a feeling of WELL, I CAN DO BETTER, or I'D BETTER DO BETTER.

Hi Steven. My favourite thing about your movies is how you direct them. Did you always love Claire de Lune and wanted to put it in a movie, or was that a musical directors idea or what? It’s such a special part of Ocean’s for me.

I stole that from THE RIGHT STUFF!

Hi Steven, can you talk about the strike, and how streaming has changed the film business over the years you have been in it?

That could take up the whole hour! My personal obsession is data transparency (the lack of it).

If you had the chance to go back and do it all again, what’s the #1 thing you would do differently and why?

I can't resist repeating Peter Sellers' response to this same question: "I would do everything exactly the same, except I wouldn't have gone to see THE MAGUS." That's not the case with me; even my mistakes provided me with knowledge I couldn't have gotten any other way. Now, making the same mistakes over and over again, that's something I try to avoid. Btw, I have THE MAGUS in my movie queue but haven't gotten all the way through yet....

Will you make a contagion sequel?

Please say no hahahahahaha

Yeah, we kind of lived it, didn't we? Still living it.

Is Command Z self funded?

yep

what inspired you to make command z? And how did you manage to drop this and full circle so close together?

A few years ago I reached out to Kurt Andersen after reading his book EVIL GENIUSES and proposed we do something that could/might make people want to get more activated in solving our various societal issues. Prior to the MAGIC MIKE'S LAST DANCE shoot, we shot an entirely different version of CZ consisting of scripted TikTok videos from the future. This didn't seem to work the we wanted and we didn't feel that format was built for the kind of narrative we were trying to tell, so we threw those out and started over. The timing worked out so that we were shooting CZ during the prep for FULL CIRCLE and editing on MMLD. This is where being surrounded by skilled collaborators really pays off....

When do we get to see the last time i saw michael gregg?

There are VERY strict rules about that. You have to watch it IN THE HOUSE of someone who has a copy (which is only the cast).

how did michael cera become attached to command z and what was the process like working with him? did you have any other actors in mind for the role of kerning and was there an audition process for this series?

I got to Michael through Greg Mottola....

My son is an undergraduate film major at CSULB. Do you have a job for him?

No, but I hope he's enjoying the program there!

what would you say is the key to writing feature films that reflect your own truth and creativity while trying to write something appealing to the industry? Do you find that any promising screenwriters you met have lost their way since getting their "big break" and taken larger writing jobs?

I've come to the conclusion that genre is the best delivery system for almost any idea you're trying to put across...on the surface level the audience is enjoying the tropes of that particular genre (horror, thriller, comedy, etc), while underneath there's all this OTHER stuff happening. GET OUT is a perfect example of this.

Who did you enjoy working with the most on the Oceans films?

Impossible to answer, honestly, it was such a great group. It had to be, because I was so focused on trying to figure shit out they had to entertain each other....

Hey Mr. Soderbergh, being a med student, I've always had a great time when you've dealt with the world of medicine. (The Knick in particular). By any chance, have you ever thought adapting the works of Robin Cook into a film or television? Super stoked for Command Z btw!

I will have to revisit Robin Cook although my guess is someone already snapped this up....

Your Watch Diary is one of my favorite things to read every year. I've been tracking my own habits this year and it's really hard! How do you manage that on top of everything else? And how do you get through books in a single sitting so often?

Well, to be clear, that's when i FINISHED the book--i may have been working on it (and some others) for a bit....

Hi Steven,

Were you overall happy with how Unsane turned out? Would you have done something different looking back at it, or is there anything you wished to have had from a modern iPhone, accessories, or tools?

I love everything you've done and always look forward to your seen, read blog posts, so I hope you don't stop doing those!

I was really happy with UNSANE but I should have taken shots of me on set holding a Rolex and claimed it was regular 16mm just to mess with people....

In your opinion, what was the hardest scene to film in any of your movies, past or present?

Funny, I tend to erase those when the thing is done and out the door. Maybe that's a good thing....

Where is your favorite place to look for new talent? And with that, which actor has been your favorite to work with and why?

Edit: spelling

I look everywhere, movies, TV, plays, commercials, friends' recommendations. Your second question can't be answered because every circumstance is so different, and YOU'RE different as well, so it's extremely subjective.

Hi Steve, thank you for doing this.

When you did oceans 13, did it have the vibe that this was like a rubber match, to try to make up for the way oceans 12 was received?

My recollection was we were all open to doing one more IF we could come up with a fun idea...getting Al Pacino to play Willy Bank made it a HELL YEAH.

Are you a fan of Stavros’s various podcasting ventures and his comedy in general?

The dude is funny. Good actor, too!

what is the hardest part of making an original non-indie movie today?

And/or

What is your stance on the on going situation in Sudan?

The good news is you can make a really good-looking movie for cheap nowadays, the hard part is getting it distributed, which is why festivals continue to be an avenue for the discovery of new talent.

Re Sudan, I don't know enough detail/context to make a public comment; I need to read more and talk to people actively trying to resolve that situation peacefully.

It does beg the question of why human beings aren't doing a better job of living with other human beings....

The types of jobs kids grow up dreaming about (i.e. Hollywood) aren’t actually worth dreaming about unless you’re born with access. How have you felt about the recent pushback regarding nepotism in Hollywood?

Well, I grew up in a suburban subdivision in Baton Rouge with no contacts to the industry, so I still think talent and perseverance can create possibilities.

What did you think of the Will Davies book Nervous States? I saw it on your reading list a year or two ago

That's a great book...I highlighted a LOT of stuff.