Big names star in ‘Contagion’

When: Opening Friday at local theaters

Cast: Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne

Director: Steven Soderbergh

The story: It’s pandemic time — and panic time — when an untreatable virus goes wide, threatening the world’s population and prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assemble a team of doctors to deal with the lethal outbreak.

The buzz: Director Soderbergh reunites with "Ocean’s Eleven" (and "Twelve" and "Thirteen") star Damon; they’re two of this thriller’s five Oscar-winning above-the-title names, along with Paltrow, Winslet and Cotillard. (Rounding out the starring-cast scorecard: Law has two Oscar nominations to Fishburne’s one.)

— Carol Cling