'Ex Machina' Director Alex Garland Gives Hints on His 'Annihilation' Big-Screen Adaptation

Alicia Vikander and Alex Garland on the set of ‘Ex Machina’ (A24)

With his directorial debut continuing its run as one of the spring’s big sleeper hits, Ex Machina writer-director Alex Garland is setting his sights on an even bigger sci-fi challenge: Adapting Jeff VanderMeer’s hit 2014 novel Annihilation for the big screen.

The first of three books in a series collectively known as The Southern Reach Trilogy, VanderMeer’s Annihilation tells the story of four women who launch an expedition into a dangerous and mysterious expanse of uninhabited land. Annihilation boasts a rabid fan base, but also poses a potentially tricky format for cinematic adaptation, as its story is told through the notes kept by the expedition’s leader. To that end, the 45-year-old Garland — whose credits include the zombie smash 28 Days Later, the space drama Sunshine and the cult reboot Dredd —says that he won’t necessarily adhere to the source material’s guidelines.

“I did an adaptation a few years ago of a book called Never Let Me Go, and that was like holding a mirror up to [the book],” he told Yahoo Movies on Friday, cautioning that while he’s working to get the adaptation made, there’s still a chance he might not get the directing gig. “I’ve written the script to it already… and I’m not trying to hold a mirror up to [Annihilation]. It’s slightly more complex with that … it’s true to the novel in some very fundamental respects, but it’s also different in some other respects.”

Changing up the first book for the big screen, in theory, could also impact the potential plot lines for its sequels — but Garland isn’t looking that far ahead quite yet.

“The plan is to try and make a decent film. That’s hard enough,” he said. “The book is the first part of a trilogy, and [a film trilogy] could happen.”

Garland was mum regarding reports that Oscar-winning Natalie Portman is in talks to star in the film: “I have no idea,” he said. “Ask her.”