UPDATED July 4 at 10 a.m. PT: SAG-AFTRA lifted its do-not-work notice on the Michael Bay-produced thriller “Songbird” on Friday, posting on their website, “SAG-AFTRA has rescinded its Do Not Work order for the feature film Songbird, produced by On a Lark Productions, LLC, and members are free to work on this production effective immediately.” A reason for the decision was not elaborated on.
PREVIOUSLY: SAG-AFTRA has issued a do-not-work notice to its members for “Songbird,” a pandemic-themed thriller produced by Michael Bay and former Paramount production head Adam Goodman’s Invisible Narratives that was meant to be one of the first films to shoot in Los Angeles since the coronavirus pandemic.
“Please be advised that On A Lark Productions, LLC the producer of the picture entitled ‘Songbird,’ has failed to complete the signatory process and is therefore not signed to any applicable SAG-AFTRA agreement,” the guild said in a statement to members. “As such, SAG-AFTRA members are hereby instructed to withhold any acting services or perform any covered work for this production until further notice from the union. Please note, accepting employment or rendering services on ‘Songbird’ may be considered a violation of Global Rule One. Violating this order may result in disciplinary action in accordance with the SAG-AFTRA Constitution.”
Craig Robinson, Demi Moore, Peter Stormare and Paul Walter Hauser are attached to star in director Adam Mason’s film, which was presented to buyers at the Cannes Virtual Market from ICM Partners and Endeavor Content.
The film is meant to shoot using creative camera techniques so that actors would not have face-to-face interaction with one another while on camera, with actors and crew separated as filming takes place.
“Songbird” is a thriller set two years in the future at a time when a global pandemic has still not gone away, leading to conspiracies, paranoia and increasingly strict quarantines and lock downs put in place all surrounding the main characters.
Bay is producing, as is Goodman for his Invisible Narratives production banner along with Eben Davidson. Invisible Narratives is partnered with Jeanette Volturno, Jason Clark, Marcei Brown, Jessica Malanaphy and Rick A. Osako of Catchlight Studios.
Representatives for Bay, Mason, Boyes, Invisible Narratives, Catchlight Studios, Endeavor Content and ICM Partners did not immediately respond to requests for comment.