In 2007, Cillian Murphy starred in Sunshine, a sci-fi thriller directed by Danny Boyle and written by Alex Garland who made his name as a novelist with The Beach. He also worked with Boyle on the screenplay for the cinematic adaptation which starred Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role while also writing the script for 28 Days Later.
Following his creative collaboration with the Slumdog Millionaire director, the writer branched off into direction with his debut film Ex-Machina and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. With his latest film Civil War set to release this April, Garland revealed that he will hang up his boots as a director and go back to writing scripts.
Why Is Alex Garland Stepping Down From Directorial Duties?
Following a successful collaboration with Danny Boyle in films like The Beach, Sunshine, and 28 Days Later, novelist-turned-film writer Alex Garland took to directing and earned a lot of accolades. Through films like Ex-Machina and Men, the author showcased his talent and flair in the sci-fi realm.
After his next project titled Civil War which will release on April 12th, 2024, Garland revealed that he would give his directorial duties a break and go back to writing scripts. Elaborating on the reasons behind this decision, The Beach writer in an interview with The Telegraph, revealed that many of his ideas and visions were not always relatable to audiences.
Garland quoted his film Men as an example of a movie that was critically acclaimed for its ambitious ideas, but failed to connect with certain sections of viewers for its abstract subject matter. He was prepared for his latest film Civil War to also receive similar reactions.
“Look, I’m not expecting everyone to like it. I know when I put something out there if it’s going to p**s a bunch of people off. The film I’m making now is also going to wind some people up. I can be a bit odd and my instincts aren’t very mainstream.”
While the Men director looked forward to putting pen to paper again, he revealed that writing another novel was out of the cards at the moment as it required a completely different mindset.
Did Cillian Murphy Indirectly Influence Alex Garland’s Decision?
While novelist Alex Garland seems to be done with directing for the time being after his 2024 film Civil War, his decision could be an indirect effect of his time as a writer on Sunshine featuring Cillian Murphy. The film directed by Danny Boyle, saw Murphy leading a group of astronauts who go on a dangerous mission to reignite the dying Sun with a nuclear fission bomb in 2057.
Somewhere along the line, this conventional sci-fi thriller changed course to become a frenetic slasher film, that Garland revealed was not his original idea for the script. His vision for the film which was rejected by the producers, involved a climax where Murphy, the sole survivor, is engrossed in a game of chess while the spaceship hurtles towards the sun.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Garland spoke of his thought process that led him to write the culmination of the film in this manner. Though this deeper and more profound ending did not end up on screen, the writer defended his stance behind the climax.
“Because that’s essentially what life is, right? If you were told you had two months to live, would there be any point in learning how to play chess? Is it any different at three months? Or four? Is the right amount of time left in your life to learn chess six months to a year? When are any of us legitimately allowed to learn how to play chess? That’s what I was trying to argue for.”
Garland was honest in admitting that his take on how this scene should play out did not hit home, which ultimately led him to take up directing himself to bring his individualistic thoughts to life. Ironically, this incident which was an example of his abstract thought process, could have served as déjà vu for the writer to leave filmmaking and go back to penning scripts.
Civil War will release in theaters on April 12th, 2024.
Sunshine can be rented on Apple TV.
