Adapted from the first book in science fiction author Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy, Alex Garland‘s latest venture, Annihilation, is shaping up to be something great.
Written and directed by Garland, the film will center around a biologist (played by Natalie Portman), who is seeking answers to her husband’s tragic disappearance. In a bid to find these answers, she volunteers for a four-man government expedition into Area X, a site sealed off as an environmental disaster zone.
According to The Verge, what unfolds is an exploration of consciousness, psychological control and science itself.
While Garland has said he will stray slightly from the book, the novel’s themes remain delightfully similar to those he toyed expertly with in his critically-acclaimed directorial debut, Ex-Machina.
Alongside Portman, Garland joins Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, and Tessa Thompson.
Annihilation will begin shooting in London later this year.
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