‘Annihilation’s’ Alex Garland To Write And Direct FX Tech Pilot ‘Devs’

If you’re badly burned by the studio system during the release of your last film, why not work on a TV show next?

While the bumbled release of “Annihilation” probably had nothing to do with the news that filmmaker Alex Garland is officially going to write and direct a TV series, it definitely made his choice a hell of a lot easier. FX recently announced they’ve ordered a pilot for the Alex Garland series “Devs,” which marks the filmmaker’s first foray into the world of TV.

The pilot will be written and directed by the acclaimed director and will feature a young software engineer named Lily, who investigates the massive company she works for believing that a secret division was responsible for the disappearance of her boyfriend. Sounds Garland has more to say about technology, huh?

“’Devs’ is a captivating series from Alex Garland, building on his track record of groundbreaking work that challenges our notion of humanity amid the seemingly boundless promise of technology,” said Eric Schrier, President of Original Programming for FX Networks and FX Productions. “We’re all the more thrilled that Alex will direct and executive produce with our partners at DNA TV and Scott Rudin Productions.”

While there’s no guarantee this series will get picked up for a full season, it’s hard to believe that FX would pass on anything with Garland attached to it. The writer/director’s first two films (if you don’t count “Dredd”), “Ex Machina” and “Annihilation,” were incredibly well-received by critics, leading to multiple award nominations for the filmmaker. Garland’s brand of thoughtful, unique sci-fi seems perfectly suited for television, especially with a network like FX, known for taking risks.

Again, while a pilot has been ordered, which will be completely written and directed by Garland, there’s still a chance this won’t ever see the light of day. However, if this series does get picked up by the network, you can expect to see “Devs” sometime in 2019.