Steven Soderbergh Is Releasing a Sci-Fi Web Series Next Week and Here’s the Trailer

When the disembodied head of Michael Cera tells you to get into a clothes dryer and travel into the future, you do it. Especially if those words are coming courtesy of Steven Soderbergh, the Oscar-winning director of Traffic, Ocean’s Eleven, Magic Mike, and so many more.

Soderbergh has a new project coming out called Command Z and, from the looks of the first trailer, it’s sort of Being John Malkovich meets Hot Tub Time Machine meets Primer. Cera stars as the leader of a project that will send three people (played by Roy Wood Jr., Chloe Radcliffe, and JJ Maley) back in time to the year 2023, where they’ll take over the thoughts of several different beings in an attempt to save the world. One of them is played by Liev Schreiber.

The trailer is not embeddable so you have to go over to Soderbergh’s website, Extension765, to watch it, which you can at that link. Here’s the poster though.

Along with the poster, the PR team released a sort of meta letter that explains a bit of what the heck is going on. Here it is:

Dear 765rs

I think by now you’re used to me describing the somewhat MERCURIAL behavior of our boss, Mr/Dr Soderbergh, but this most recent development is next level and can’t be kept to myself for reasons you’ll soon understand. 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? Frankly, I don’t care because what this means IN THE REAL WORLD is those of us in the Fulfillment Center (aka The BB, aka BLOFELD’S BASEMENT) are about to get some heavy traffic and oh, did I happen to tell you I ALSO RUN THE I.T. DEPARTMENT? So: we are absolutely fulfilling Mr/Dr Soderbergh’s directives to the letter but I’m just letting you know: even the smallest increase in traffic is going to make my life a living hell, possibly forever. So think about that and then think about this: When I asked Mr/Dr Soderbergh why he’d done this, why he’d made this project and why he’d made it in secret, he said, “Hope, Fabrizia. Hope and laughter.” Honestly, I don’t even know where to start with this guy.

Have a great weekend. See you Monday (or not) !

Fabrizia del Dongo

So there are some clues in there. It’s an eight-episode web series that runs about 90 minutes total (so, about 11 minutes each chapter). We can add that the team behind it wouldn’t say if all eight will be released at once, but you will have to pay for them. And frankly, with the absolutely madness that you just saw and read about, who wouldn’t?

Command Z is out July 17 only on Extension765.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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