Sci-Fi Auteur Alex Garland Says He Plans To Retire From Directing; Cites The Unreliable Elements Of Filmmaking

Sci-Fi Auteur Alex Garland Says He Plans To Retire From Directing; Cites The Unreliable Elements Of Filmmaking

Novelist turned director Alex Garland has delivered some instant sci-fi classics over the years including Ex Machina, Annihilation, and Men.

By MarkJulian - Apr 01, 2024 08:04 AM EST
Filed Under: Movies
Source: The Guardian

According to a new interview with The Guardian, novelist and screenwriter turned director Alex Garlands has let it be known that he no longer wants to direct films. Moving forward, he'll be focusing solely on screenwriting.

Nothing’s changed. I’m in a very similar state,” Garland told the outlet in response to a question about previous hints from the Ex Machina director that he planned to step back from directing and focus more on writing.

He continued, “I’m not planning to direct again in the foreseeable future.

Garland went on to explain that the pressures of filmmaking doesn't come from money but the way the industry is relying more heavily on blue screen and the fact that he's asking the cast and crew to trust that everything will work out when he actually doesn't have any assurances that it will.

"The pressure doesn’t come from the money. It comes from the fact that you’re asking people to trust something that, on the face of it, doesn’t look very trustworthy", said Garland. 

He went on to add an example from Ex Machina, stating, "Alicia [Vikander] and Sonoya [Mizuno] are trusting that nudity is going to be dealt with thoughtfully and respectfully … [when] cinema leans towards not doing that."

Garland rose to prominence with his 1996 novel The Beach, which was turned into a feature film that was directed by Danny Boyle and starred  Leonardo DiCaprio.

From there Garland's stock continued to rise in Hollywood circles thanks to his screenwriting gigs on 28 Days Later, Sunshine, and Dredd. He then made his directorial debut with 2014's Ex Machina, 2018's Annihilation, and 2022's Men.

Up next, and potentially Garland's final directorial outing, is Civil War, which stars  Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Nick Offerman.

Currently, the film sits at a 92% approval rating from 38 reviews on the Rotten Tomatoes aggregate review site. The film has an average score of 8.1 out of 10.

In their review, Empire Magazine wrote, "As a political statement, Civil War is provocative and occasionally exasperating; as a purely cinematic experience, it is urgent, heart-in-mouth, extraordinary stuff."

Civil War film opens in theaters on April 12, 2024, in North America and the UK.

Civil War (2024) Official Synopsis: An adrenaline-fueled thrill ride through a near-future fractured America balanced on the razor's edge. A journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.

Alex Garland wrote the screenplayand also directs.

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