Tessa Thompson ("Creed," "Dear White People") has reportedly been approached to join Natalie Portman and Gina Rodriguez ("Jane the Virgin") in "Annihilation," an adaptation of the 2014 sci-fi novel of the same name.
The project sounds equal parts mysterious and promising. The story centers on a group of four women — we’re keen to learn which actress will be cast in the final slot — who embark on an expedition in a post-apocalyptic world. They are sent to Area X, a location mired in controversy and tragedy. The book’s description reads, "Their mission is to map the terrain, record all observations of their surroundings and of one another, and, above all, avoid being contaminated by Area X itself."
In the novel, the team is comprised of an anthropologist, a surveyor, a psychologist and the narrator.
"Annihilation" will be written and directed by Alex Garland. Cinema Blend writes, "With the release of ‘Ex Machina,’ Alex Garland suddenly found himself propelled from not only being one of the most sought after writers in Hollywood, but to one of the most pined for directors too." Not an uncommon trajectory for male directors in Hollywood, but nearly unheard of for female ones. (Recall Ava DuVernay’s account of reuniting with a male director who had a similar Sundance experience as she did, but ended up in a radically different professional position.) That being said, we really enjoyed "Ex Machina" and particularly Garland’s depiction of the unexpectedly multi-layered female AI in the film (played to perfection by Alicia Vikander). And, of course, it’s always great to see more women in genre films.
[via Cinema Blend]
