Ep. 54: Alex Garland on ‘Annihilation’, Adaptation, and the Future of Sci-Fi

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This week on TIFF Long Take, Rob sits down with renowned screenwriter and director, Alex Garland. Over the last 20 years, Garland’s films, including</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">28 Days Later,</span></em> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Sunshine</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ex Machina,</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">have helped him stand out as a fresh voice in the crowded landscape of modern science fiction. His latest film,</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Annihilation,</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">starring Natalie Portman and Oscar Isaac, and adapted from Jeff Vandermeer’s best selling novel, is in theaters now.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Garland discusses how J.G. Ballard and Stanley Kubrick got him hooked on science fiction, how he comes up with and researches such complex ideas, and why he doesn’t see his films as prescient, but rather catching up with the obvious.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He also talks about his unconventional approach to adapting</span> <em><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Annihilation,</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">how he conceived of the legendary</span> <em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ex Machina</span></em> <span style="font-weight: 400;">dance scene, and which film in his catalogue he wishes he’d done differently.</span></p>