Movies: Annihilation; The Last Thing He Wanted

The first teaser trailer is out for Annihilation, based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer, IndieWire reported. The project, written and directed by Alex Garland (Ex Machina), stars Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tessa Thompson. Garland "first made a name for himself in Hollywood as the screenwriter of 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Never Let Me Go and Dredd, but it wasn't until he decided to step into the director's chair with Ex Machina that he became a household name for cinephiles," IndieWire noted. Annihilation opens in theaters February 23, 2018.

Garland told Entertainment Weekly that his plan for adapting VanderMeer's novel was to make something very weird and very beautiful: "That's what we were shooting for. The beauty part of it was quite important. Even when it's grim, and something dark is happening, there's quite an overt beauty, and we took pains to make sure that happened."

--- 

Dee Rees (Mudbound) will direct a film adaptation of Joan Didion's The Last Thing He Wanted. Indiewire reported that Elevated's Cassian Elwes (Dallas Buyers Club) "optioned the novel from Didion last year for Rees to direct following their successful collaboration on Mudbound." Marco Villalobos is writing the screenplay.

"This work is one of my favorite Joan Didion novels and is a brilliant and layered piece of fiction," said Rees. "I am forever attracted to interesting, unexpected characters and Didion is one of the greatest masters of the form. I'm so excited to be able to interpret this literary masterpiece."

Elwes added: "As longtime admirer of Joan Didion, we couldn't be more excited to bring one of her most compelling works of fiction to life. [Rees's] take on this piece has a unique tension and depth. The combination of the two powerhouse creatives will make for an incredible film."

Powered by: Xtenit