His first stab at directing, robo-thriller Ex_Machina, is generating some healthy buzz as it approaches release. So it’s not surprising that Alex Garland is being considered for other jobs. Paramount sees plenty of promise in his future, and have hired Garland to write and direct **Annihilation.
It might not be the cheeriest title, but it’s actually the first book in Jeff VanderMeer’s thriller trilogy The Southern Reach, which follows a biologist hunting for answers about her missing husband. He was exploring a dangerous environmental disaster area that has been sealed by the government for the past 30 years, so perhaps the bigger question might be why he went there in the first place?
Still, the story has filled three books, with Annihilation hitting stores in March, Authority following in May and Acceptance in September. Garland will be adapting the book and developing the script to direct it.
Ex_Machina, which just unleashed its first trailer on the world (and is the subject of a set visit piece in the new **Empire), arrives here on January 23 before launching in the US on April 10.