Screenwriter Scott Z Burns’ work is wildly entertaining… while also positing frighteningly real scenarios. This is especially evident in his screenplay for the 2011 Steven Soderbergh film Contagion and the 2023 Apple TV+ limited series Extrapolations. The latter explores climate change from various perspectives.
In his newest project, the Audible Original podcast series What Could Go Wrong?, Burns investigates pursuing a sequel to Contagion with the help of an unusual partner: artificial intelligence. He tells The Treatment why the idea of becoming a “prompt” writer scares him, but also allows space for potential upsides to AI assisted filmmaking.