In a recent interview with the Guardian, Alex Garland (the director of "Ex Machina", "Annihilation", "Men", & "Civil War") said that he has fallen "out of love" with filmmaking, and that "Civil War" will be the last film that he directs.
I wonder if it is partly due to filmgoers like me, with our insistent (mis)interpretation of his work, that Garland says that his latest film will also be the last he directs.
He [previously] declared his intention to give up directing and retreat to only writing... [I asked] does he still feel the same? “Nothing’s changed,” he says flatly. “I’m in a very similar state. I’m not planning to direct again in the foreseeable future.”
Is this true? Or will he return to directing before the end of the 2020s?
This market resolves YES if Alex Garland is the "Director" or "Co-director" for a film that has (1) a US release date before December 31st, 2029, or (2) is released by a streaming service before December 31st, 2029, but is unambiguously considered to be a "movie" (i.e. "Devs" wouldn't count).
For context, Alex Garland has directed 4 films since 2015. However, directing is not his only viable career in Hollywood—he was previously best known as a writer ("28 Days Later", "Sunshine", etc).
If he directs more TV shows (like "Devs"), that does not resolve the question YES, it needs to be a movie.
Obviously, this refers to films after "Civil War", which will release in a few weeks.
Alex Garland Clarifies Retirement Remarks: ‘The Statement I Made Is So Different from the Way It’s Been Interpreted’
"Filmmaking is not the preserve solely of directors," Garland told IndieWire, who reiterated that he will focus on screenwriting but also is not retiring from directing altogether, either.
Uh that's great news & should probably move the market up a bit but also he's only barely contradicting what he said before.
Don't forget he's also a novelist. He wrote the beach and adapting that lead him to the film industry.
I think cival war is gonna be huge and Netflix or someone is just gonna park a big money truck next to him to do whatever he wants. Not many can resist that 😀.
I'd happily lose my yes bet though if he makes another series like Devs. 🤯
@mattyb i can’t think of a director that has scared me as thoroughly as Alex Garland did with Annihilatation. That ending has still stuck with me, everything from the lighthouse onwards, true psychologic horror