Alex Garland Discusses Making ‘Annihilation’ In 30-Minute Talk

The first two months of the year are generally considered by Hollywood to be a fallout zone and dumping ground for trash they want to get out of the way with as little fuss as possible. However, there are exceptions to the rule. Marvel is enjoying massive critical and box office success with “Black Panther,” and this weekend, Paramount is offering audiences the brainy mind-bender “Annihilation” (well, at least in North America — the rest of the rest of the world, except China, will get the movie on Netflix on March 12th).

It’s rare for audiences to get smart, intellectual sci-fi on the big screen from a major studio, and even rarer at this time of year. It’s a film that could use the support if only to show decision makes that moviegoers don’t simply want a new blockbuster each week. But if you need a big more convincing, this “Talks at Google” conversation with Garland should do the trick. Always a fascinating figure to listen to, the writer/director dives into his approach of adapting the “atmosphere” of Jeff VanderMeer‘s novel rather than the story beat for beat, why he chose to give the characters name (they don’t have any in the book), casting “Annihilation” and more.

Give it a look and go see the film when it opens this weekend.