The Biollywood Podcast

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council, Dr. Asha M. George, Associate Director for Research, J.T. O'Brien, and Associate Director for Government Relations and Policy, Robert Bradley, discuss the 2026 Apple TV+ series, Pluribus. Premise: Pluribus begins with astronomers at the Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico de...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council, Dr. Asha M. George, Associate Director for Research, J.T. O'Brien, and Associate Director for Government Relations and Policy, Robert Bradley, discuss the 1999 film, The Matrix, and its implications for the convergence of artificial intelligence and biological science. Premis...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council, Dr. Asha M. George, Associate Director for Research, J.T. O'Brien, and Associate Director for Government Relations and Policy, Robert Bradley, discuss the 2026 film, Project Hail Mary. Premise: Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light years fr...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council, Dr. Asha M. George, Associate Director for Research, J.T. O'Brien, and Associate Director for Government Relations and Policy, Robert Bradley, discuss the 2026 film, 28 Years Later: Bone Temple. Premise: Set immediately after the events of 28 Years Later, The Bone Temple expl...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council, Dr. Asha M. George, Associate Director for Research, J.T. O'Brien, and Associate Director for Government Relations and Policy, Robert Bradley, discuss S02E03 of NCIS: Origins, The Edge. We are joined by special guest, Patrick Cady, who directed the episode. Patrick is an Emmy...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council, Dr. Asha M. George, Associate Director for Research, J.T. O'Brien, and Associate Director for Government Relations and Policy, Robert Bradley, discuss the 2009 Dr. Who special, The Waters of Mars. Premise: Mars, 2059. At Bowie Base One, an international crew begins succumbing...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council, Dr. Asha M. George, Associate Director for Research, J.T. O'Brien, and Associate Director for Government Relations and Policy, Robert Bradley, discuss the 1982 film, The Thing. Premise: Set in a remote Antarctic research station, The Thing tells the story of a group of Americ...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, and Policy Principal Robert Bradley, discuss the 2005 film, V for Vendetta. Premise: In a near-future United Kingdom ruled by the fascist Norsefire regime, a masked vigilante known only as V seeks to topple the government through theatr...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, and Policy Principal Robert Bradley, discuss the 1998 episode of The X Files titled, The Pine Bluff Variant (S05E18). Premise: In The Pine Bluff Variant, FBI agent Fox Mulder goes undercover to infiltrate a domestic terrorist group susp...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, Policy Principal, Robert Bradley, and our new intern, Madi Kim, tackle James Gunn’s Superman (2025), the first film in DC Studios’ new shared universe. Premise: Gunn’s film drops us into a world where Superman is already an established...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, and Policy Principal Robert Bradley, discuss the new 2025 film, 28 Years Later Premise: 28 Years Later is set in a post-apocalyptic world where a highly contagious virus, known as the Rage Virus, has decimated the population of the Unit...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, and Policy Principal Robert Bradley, discuss the iconic 2003 film, 28 Days Later Premise: 28 Days Later is set in a post-apocalyptic world where a highly contagious virus, known as the Rage Virus, has decimated the population of the Uni...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, and Policy Principal Robert Bradley, discuss the second film in the Mission Impossible franchise. Premise: Mission: Impossible 2 follows IMF agent Ethan Hunt as he is tasked with recovering a deadly virus known as Chimera and its cure,...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, and Policy Principal Robert Bradley, discuss the first season of the HBO show, The Last of Us (2023), based on the hit video game. Premise: "The Last of Us" is set in a post-apocalyptic world where a fungal infection, known as the Cordy...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, and Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, discuss Season 3 Episode 2 of Vikings: Valhalla - Honor and Dishonor (2024). In this episode, the Vikings face numerous challenges as they navigate their way through political intrigue and warfare. One of the key plot points involve...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, and Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, discuss the TV Series Dune: Prophecy (2024). The series is set 10,000 years before the events of Dune, following the aftermath of the Battle of Corrin. It focuses on the origins of the Bene Gesserit, a powerful social, religious, an...

Premise: The series is set 97 years after a devastating nuclear war wiped out almost all life on Earth. The only known survivors are the residents of twelve space stations in Earth's orbit prior to the war. The space stations banded together to form a single massive station named "The Ark", where about 2,400 people live. Resources are scarce and all crimes no matter their nature or severity are pu...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, and Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, discuss the film Life (2017). In the film, a six-member crew of the International Space Station uncovers the first evidence of extraterrestrial life on Mars. When members of the crew conduct their research, the rapidly evolving life...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, and Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, discuss the novel Project Hail Mary (2021) by Andy Weir. Premise: Set in the near future, it centers on school-teacher-turned-astronaut Ryland Grace, who wakes up from a coma afflicted with amnesia. He gradually remembers that he wa...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, and Policy Principal Robert Bradley, discuss The West Wing S05E20: No Exit (2004). Premise: After a black-tie dinner, the President and his staff are locked down inside the White House when a foreign substance is detected inside. Learn...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, and Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, discuss Alien: Romulus (2024). Premise: While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonists come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe. Romulus takes place after the...

In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, and Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, discuss the Alien film franchise. The Alien franchise depicts a series of deadly encounters, predominantly spanning the 21st and 24th centuries, between humanity and the Aliens. Humanity is depicted as a space-faring species with an...

In this inaugural episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Executive Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense, Dr. Asha M. George, and Research Principal, J.T. O'Brien, discuss the film Hidden (2015). Hidden is a 2015 American psychological thriller film written and directed by the Duffer Brothers in their feature film debut. The film stars Alexander Skarsgård, Andrea Riseborough, and Emi...