OK, it’s coming and coming today, but one more excerpt from the forthcoming, imminently arriving episode of The Playlist’s The Discourse podcast featuring Jude Law and Alicia Vikander discussing their new period piece drama, “Firebrand”(read our review).
We grilled the pair about all aspects of their career, Law admitting ancient rumors of being in the mix for a version of “Superman” that Brett Ratner was going to make back in the early aughts. But we had to ask Vikander
As for the “Tomb Raider” franchise Vikander was part of, the actress didn’t have too much to add, it seems like it is lost to her, but she did admit she was all gungho about doing a sequel. But the actress also sounds at peace with it being gone.
“I mean, I was super excited about doing a second one,” she said. “But I think MGM lost the rights. And then it kind of was on hold. And that’s where it’s been since” (Phoebe Waller-Bridge is making an unrelated series at Amazon).
We also asked the actress about her time on Alex Garland’s sci-fi film, “Ex Machina,” and mentioned the news that Garland intends to step away from directing for the foreseeable future to focus on writing (and he’s adamant that it’s not a “retirement” for anyone who’s listening).
Surprisingly, Vikander said Garland wanted to walk away after finishing “Ex Machina” back in 2015, in fact, the filmmaker avowing during the press tour that he would never direct again.
“I read that too!” Vikander explained about Garland’s idea of shifting back to screenwriting and taking a (potentially long) sabbatical from directing. “Do you know what? So, I have memories when you know, when we did the [‘Ex Machina’] press [tour] and [Alex saying], ‘[I’m never doing it again.’ You know, because in the beginning, I still had done a few films. And I just thought he was such a wonderful director to work with in the sense that, just seeing his set—that was his first film, obviously, he had actually been like second director on several films before that. But you know, the way that he made everyone feel comfortable at like being the best at what they do. And so everyone said, ‘Remarkable debut, clearly fantastic director,’ and I could just tune in on that.”
“And he was so much like, ‘No, I didn’t do anything,‘ You’re saying that for the whole press tour? And I was like, ‘Come on.’ It’s like, the thing that he does great is kind of give everyone the space to really elevate and become the best at what they do,” she continued. “And that is the job and choosing those people. And then creating this wonderful environment where we all feel safe.”
Vikander suggested when she first read his “stepping away for now” comments, it was Garland just being Garland and being modest. The actress said she expects he might go back to filmmaking or could potentially write another novel or even explore other mediums, who knows.
“So, I hope that when I read that, I was thinking, ‘That it’s just him saying what he did then,’ ‘Oh, no, no, I don’t really direct and I didn’t do anything.’ I hope that’s him just being as humble saying, ‘I’m probably not going to go back,’ and part of me thinks that it’s very much just part of him. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he maybe went back—and I wouldn’t mind reading a novel of his. And so there’s obviously a lot more mediums today, too. And the world, especially now with technology is changing so much. So maybe he’s just going to be on the forefront. Maybe he’s just going to do some new medium and not make a more traditional film again.”
Obviously, much of this is just Vikander’s speculation and not what Garland intends, because we simply don’t know, but here’s what we do know. Next up for him, he’s co-directing stunt coordinator/second-until helmer Ray Mendoza‘s directorial debut, “Warfare,” though he insisted in the press it’s a hands-off role. Set during the Iraq War in 2007, the movie stars Charles Melton, Joseph Quinn, Will Poulter, Kit Connor, Cosmo Jarvis, and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai from “Reservation Dogs.”
After that, he’s got two “28 Years Later” screenplays set to go, one he’s writing for Danny Boyle, the other for other for “The Marvels” filmmaker Nia DaCosta. That should fill his plate for the next three four years, and after that? It’s anyone’s guess, including Vikander’s. More from this interview soon.
