When a film is released in February on Netflix, it’s difficult for it to be seriously considered in the awards conversation in December. That seems to be the best explanation for why Steven Soderbergh’s “High Flying Bird” wasn’t really talked about in many Best Of lists for 2019. But make no mistake, the basketball drama starring André Holland is one of the best films of last year. And it appears that the film has been popular enough to perhaps warrant a sequel.
READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2019
Speaking to Al.com, Holland discussed his recent Soderbergh film, and specifically how his character from “High Flying Bird” might handle the current pandemic. You see, in the film, Holland plays a sports agent that comes up with a plan for how to help his clients make money during an NBA lockout, which is a similar situation to what the athletes are experiencing now as the season has been seemingly cut short due to COVID-19.
“In my imagination, I think Ray would, first of all, want to make sure that his clients are good, right. That everybody’s taken care of financially. Everybody’s fine, you know, families are okay and health wise,” Holland said.
He continued, “Now, once that was done, I think that he would probably be using this as an opportunity to try and further level the playing field. For me so much of what the book is about. And what we wanted the movie to be about is this balance of power, labor and management, who gets to be the one that calls the shots.”
And while he wasn’t asked about a sequel to “High Flying Bird,” discussing the film led Holland to open up about talks he’s having about a possible continuation of the story.
“And it’s funny you bring that up because the call I was on earlier and then have a thing later today to talk about this very thing,” said Holland. “We’re working on a sequel to the film. I haven’t told anybody that… but working on that. So yeah, I think hopefully, once we get this made, we’ll be able, I’ll be able to answer that question with a 90-minute movie.”
Obviously, he doesn’t give too much information about who he’s talking to about a sequel to the film and a timeline for when it might come together. But it’s clear that Holland has thought about where his character might go after the end of Soderbergh’s film. Plus, as we know with the filmmaker, he’s more than willing to do a sequel if the story is right. And considering Soderbergh filmed the project on an iPhone, there’s no telling how quickly he could turn around and knock out a new sequel.
Until then, you can watch “High Flying Bird” on Netflix.