Alex Garland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Template:Wikidata image Alexander Medawar Garland (born 26 May 1970) is an English author, screenwriter, film and television director. He rose to prominence with his novel The Beach (1996). He received praise for writing the Danny Boyle films 28 Days Later (2002) and its sequel, 28 Years Later (2025), and Sunshine (2007), as well as Never Let Me Go (2010) and Dredd (2012). In video games, he co-wrote Enslaved: Odyssey to the West (2010) and was a story supervisor on DmC: Devil May Cry (2013).

Garland made his directorial debut when he wrote and directed the sci-fi thriller Ex Machina (2014). He earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and won three British Independent Film Awards, including Best Screenplay, Best Director, and Best British Independent Film for the film. His second movie, Annihilation (2018), an adaptation of the 2014 novel of the same name, was a critical success. He wrote, directed and executive produced the FX miniseries Devs (2020) followed by the horror thriller Men (2022), and the dystopian action thriller Civil War (2024). He also co-directed the war film Warfare (2025). The three films were produced by A24.

Early life and education

Alexander Medawar Garland[1] was born in London on 26 May 1970,[2][3] the son of psychologist Caroline (née Medawar) and political cartoonist Nicholas Garland. Alexander has a younger brother and two older paternal half-siblings. He is the maternal grandson of writer Jean Medawar and Nobel Prize-winning biologist Peter Medawar.[4]

Alexander Garland was educated at University College School in Hampstead, England and later graduated from the University of Manchester in Manchester with an art history degree.[5][6]

Career

Novels

Garland's first novel, The Beach, was published in 1996. Based on his travels across Europe and Thailand, it tells the story of a young English backpacker who discovers an unspoiled seashore occupied by a community of like-minded backpackers. The novel is noted for its references to drug culture, sequences of hallucinations, and unique depictions of excess and utopia. The Beach was initially met with positive reviews, and with a spreading word of mouth response, the novel grew in popularity; it led some critics to regard Garland a key voice of Generation X.[7] He would later speak of his discomfort with the fame The Beach brought him.[5] The Beach has been translated into 25 different languages[8] and sold close to 700,000 copies by the start of 1999.[9] It was developed into a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio. In 2003, the novel was Ranked 103 in BBC's The Big Read poll.[10]

Garland's The Tesseract (1998) is a non-linear narrative with several interwoven characters, set in Manila, Philippines. The novel is characterized by a post-modernist narrative style and structure. It explores several themes such as love and violence through each character's circumstance and context of surroundings as well as seemingly inconsequential actions and the repercussions of those actions on other characters. The Tesseract was not a critical or commercial success, but it too was adapted into a film.

Throughout his work, Garland has expressed his love of travel (particularly backpacking) and his love of Manila, much of which influenced his work.[8]

Film

In 2002, Garland wrote the screenplay for Danny Boyle's film 28 Days Later, starring Cillian Murphy.[11] He has said that the script was influenced by 1970s zombie films and English science fiction like The Day of the Triffids.[12] The Resident Evil series also served as an influence for 28 Days Later, with Garland crediting the first game for revitalizing the zombie genre.[13] Inspiration for the "Rage" virus came from real-world infections such as Ebola and filoviruses.[12] He won a Best Screenplay honor at the 2004 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards for his script of the film.

In 2005, Garland wrote a screenplay for a film adaptation of Halo.[14] D. B. Weiss and Josh Olson rewrote this during 2006 for a 2008 release,[15][16] although the film was later canceled.[16] In 2007, he wrote the screenplay for the film Sunshine, which was his second screenplay to be directed by Danny Boyle and to star Cillian Murphy. Garland served as an executive producer on 28 Weeks Later, the sequel of 28 Days Later. He wrote the screenplay for the 2010 film Never Let Me Go, based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. He also wrote the script for Dredd, an adaptation of the Judge Dredd comic book series from 2000 AD. In 2018, Karl Urban, who played the eponymous role in the film, stated that it was Garland who deserved credit for also directing Dredd.[17]

Garland made his directorial debut with Ex Machina, a 2014 feature film based on his own story and screenplay, starring Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac. The film won a Jury Prize at the 2015 Gerardmer Film Festival, and earned Garland a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Garland's second film, Annihilation (2018), was based on Jeff VanderMeer's 2014 science fiction novel of the same name. Garland has described it as "an adaptation [that] was a memory of the book," rather than book-referenced screenwriting, to capture the "dream like nature" and tone of his reading experience.[18][19][20] Production began in 2016,[21] and the film was released in February 2018.[22]

In January 2021, Garland was hired to direct his third film, Men, starring Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear.[23] The film follows a young woman who goes on a solo vacation to the English countryside after the death of her ex-husband.[24] Released in May 2022, it received generally positive reviews, though its narrative approach received some criticism. Film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum placed Men on his Best Films of 2022 list.[25]

In April 2022, it was announced that Garland would once again work with A24 for his fourth feature, Civil War, an action epic starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, and previous collaborators Stephen McKinley Henderson and Cailee Spaeny.[26] The film was released on 12 April 2024. Garland will reunite with Boyle to write 28 Years Later, the long-gestating sequel to 28 Days Later, which is intended to launch a new trilogy of zombie films. Murphy will serve as an executive producer. The film is set to be released by Sony.[27]

In February 2024, it was revealed that Charles Melton was in talks to star in Garland's upcoming untitled war film with A24. This project marks the second collaboration between Garland and Ray Mendoza, who served as the military supervisor for Civil War. The pair wrote and will co-direct the film.[28] The following month, Joseph Quinn, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Kit Connor, Cosmo Jarvis, Will Poulter and Finn Bennett joined the ensemble cast, and the film was revealed to be titled Warfare.[29] The same month, Garland stated that he would not direct any films in the "foreseeable future" after the release of Civil War and that his co-directorial work on Warfare was "more of a supporting character" to Mendoza's.[30] However, in May 2025, it was announced that Garland's next project would be a film adaptation of Elden Ring.[31]

Television

Garland wrote, served as executive producer, and directed the eight-episode miniseries Devs about the "mysterious ongoings at a tech company", for FX. The series was greenlit in August 2018, and premiered 5 March 2020 on FX on Hulu.[32] It stars Ex Machina and Annihilation actress Sonoya Mizuno, alongside Nick Offerman, Jin Ha, Zach Grenier, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Cailee Spaeny, and Alison Pill.[32] Spaeny, who did not audition for the role as Garland had wanted her specifically for it said that Devs was short for Development, and the series would explore the idea of the multiverse.[33]

In May 2022, a television series based on Never Let Me Go was optioned at FX, to be executive produced by Garland, who previously wrote the screenplay for the 2010 film adaptation of the same name.[34][35] It would have premiered on Hulu in the United States, Star in other territories and Star+ in Latin America with Viola Prettejohn, Tracey Ullman and Kelly Macdonald starring.[34] However, in February 2023, it was announced that FX had cancelled the series before production began.[36]

Video games

Garland and Tameem Antoniades co-wrote the video game Enslaved: Odyssey to the West for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. They won a 2011 award from the Writer's Guild of Great Britain. Garland also served as a story supervisor on the game DmC: Devil May Cry in 2013.

Personal life

Garland is married to English-Mexican actress Paloma Baeza, with whom he has a son and a daughter.[5] He has described himself as being an atheist.[37]

Garland has described himself as politically left, but has expressed concern over increasing political polarisation, particularly in America. He cited this concern as a core inspiration for his film Civil War.[38]

Bibliography

Filmography

Film

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
2002 28 Days Later No Yes No
2007 Sunshine No Yes No
28 Weeks Later No UncreditedTemplate:Efn Executive
2010 Never Let Me Go No Yes Executive
2012 Dredd UncreditedTemplate:Efn Yes Yes
2014 Ex Machina Yes Yes No
2018 Annihilation Yes Yes No
2022 Men Yes Yes No
2024 Civil War Yes Yes No
2025 Warfare YesTemplate:Efn Yes No
28 Years Later No Yes Yes
2026 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple No Yes Yes Post-production

Other credits

Television

Year Title Director Writer Executive
Producer 		Notes
2020 Devs Yes Yes Yes Also creator

Video games

Theatre

Critical reception

Title Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
Ex Machina 92% (284 ratings)[42] 78 (42 reviews)[43]
Annihilation 88% (327 ratings)[44] 79 (51 reviews)[45]
Devs 82% (90 ratings)[46] 71 (32 reviews)[47]
Men 69% (255 ratings)[48] 65 (55 reviews)[49]
Civil War 81% (391 ratings)[50] 75 (60 reviews)[51]
Warfare 93% (223 ratings)[52] 77 (16 reviews)[53]

Awards and nominations

Year Film Award Category Result
2002 28 Days Later Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best Screenplay Nominated
Hugo Awards Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form Nominated
Saturn Award Best Writing Nominated
2010 Never Let Me Go British Independent Film Awards Best Screenplay Nominated
Evening Standard British Film Awards Best Screenplay Nominated
Saturn Award Best Writing Nominated
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Writers' Guild of Great Britain Best Continuing Drama Won
2015 Ex Machina Academy Awards Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Writing, Original Screenplay Nominated
Austin Film Critics Association Best Original Screenplay Nominated
AACTA International Awards Best Screenplay Nominated
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards Best New Filmmaker Nominated
British Independent Film Awards Best British Independent Film Won
Best Director Won
Best Screenplay Won
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Best Screenplay Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Most Promising Filmmaker Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Directors Guild of America Award Outstanding Directing – First-Time Feature Film Won
European Film Awards Best European Screenwriter Nominated
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards Best Screenplay Nominated
Gérardmer Film Festival Jury Prize Won
Imagine Film Festival Silver Scream Award Won
London Critics Circle Film Awards Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker Nominated
Online Film Critics Society Awards Best Original Screenplay Nominated
San Diego Film Critics Society Best Original Screenplay Nominated
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Toronto Film Critics Association Awards Best First Feature Won
Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards Best Director Nominated
Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Saturn Awards Best Director Nominated
Best Writing Nominated
2025 Civil War Writers Guild of America Awards Best Original Screenplay Nominated

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". Template:Subscription required
  5. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Urban in Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". @ 32m15s-33m30s
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Template:Cbignore @ 03m30 - "In this [adaptation] instance it was like an adaptation of the atmosphere."
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  42. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  43. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  44. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  45. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  46. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  47. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  48. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  49. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  50. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  51. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  52. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  53. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

External links

Template:Alex Garland Template:DirectorsGuildofAmericaAwardFirstTimeFeatureFilm Template:Authority control

Retrieved from "http://debianws.lexgopc.com/wiki143/index.php?title=Alex_Garland&oldid=4645099"