With ‘Ex Machina’ being one of the best films of 2015, many are anxious to see what filmmaker Alex Garland would do next. The answer is an adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer’s novel ‘Annihilation’ for Paramount Pictures featuring an all-star cast of awesome ladies including Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, and Tessa Thompson. But since filming started, it has been relatively quiet on that front. So much so in fact that the production has already wrapped shooting without so much as an official still or a formal announcement with a synopsis or a release date. But thanks to the joys of social media, we have our first look at the movie.
‘Annihilation’ follows a group of women consisting of an anthropologist, a surveyor, a psychologist who serves as the group’s de facto leader, and a biologist/narrator (played by Portman) that take on a dangerous mission to a land where the laws of nature don’t apply. This mysterious place is known as Area X. However before we get any sort of official look at that place, The Film Stage did some digging and found some images that show off this bizarre location. Through the Instagram accounts of Cinematographer Rob Hardy and stars Gina Rodriguez and Tessa Thompson, you can get a sneak peek at what looks to be an extremely stunning film:
My boo. #annihilationFilm by director Alex Garland.
A photo posted by Gina Rodriguez (@hereisgina) on
Lit with the magic of movie making, on Annihilation, with my sunshine @hereisgina . Photo by director Alex Garland A photo posted by Tessa Thompson (@tessamaethompson) on
wrapped on Annihilation. quite possibly a very beautiful film. can’t wait [for you] to see.
A photo posted by Tessa Thompson (@tessamaethompson) on
Zone A photo posted by R o b H a r d y b s c (@rdhardy) on
A photo posted by R o b H a r d y b s c (@rdhardy) on
A photo posted by R o b H a r d y b s c (@rdhardy) on
A quiet tribute to the outer peripheries of a dressed set. Beautiful, austere and elegant, yet largely ignored in the face of brutal time restrictions and other seemingly arbitrary reasons, but somehow defiant of the fact that it will never appear in the film. #bscine @rdhardy A photo posted by BSC (@bscine) on
Keep in mind that these pictures are taken on phones. Just imagine how crazy everything will look onscreen when these locations are properly lit and such. Garland’s simple yet unsettling aesthetic certainly carries over from his last film. Although with ‘Annihilation’ being a different story, I’m anxious to find out what surprises await us (presumably) later this year.
What do you think about this glimpse at ‘Annihilation’? Are you excited for Alex Garland’s next film? Let us know in the comments.
Despite being a “professional writer”, Ben likes run-on sentences far too much. For more of his attempts at being funny and the occasional insightful thought, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
