Talks are Heating Up for Zombie Sequel '28 Months Later'

Like the undead it's hard to keep any good (and sometimes bad) horror franchise down for long, even one that was kind of on the margins 28 Days Later and its sequel, 28 Weeks Later. For at least six years Danny Boyle has teased a return to the "zombie" thriller (they aren't really zombies), after directing the first chapter then passing the torch to Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. And after all this time it appears that Boyle, along with screenwriter/producer Alex Garland, may finally have a plan to bring the franchise back from the dead.

Garland spoke with IGN while doing press for his sci-fi film, Ex Machina, and revealed that talks with Boyle about a third chapter in the zombie series have gotten serious...

Garland: “We’ve got an idea. Danny [Boyle] and [producer] Andrew [Macdonald] and I have been having quite serious conversations about it so it is a possibility. It’s complicated. There’s a whole bunch of reasons why it’s complicated, which are boring so I won’t go into, but there’s a possibility.”

Both Garland and Boyle are likely to stay in producer roles as they were last time. He also says the expected title of 28 Months Later is probably what they'll be sticking with, although that hasn't been confirmed.  28 Days Later followed a man (played by Cillian Murphy) who woke up to discover that a virus had turned much of human population into fast-moving zombie-ish creatures. The sequel 28 Weeks Later centered on an attempt by the military to repopulate part of London.

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Alex Garland to Direct 'Annihilation'; Stephen Chbosky Remaking 'Patrik 1.5', and More

After the wildly enthusiastic response to the first Ex Machina trailer, Alex Garland's directorial future is looking brighter than ever. The Sunshine and 28 Days Later screenwriter has already lined up his next gig behind the camera, adapting and directing Annihilation, based on the first book in Jeff VanderMeer's "Southern Reach Trilogy". The premise sounds a lot like Danny Boyle's The Beach, which Garland adapted based on his own novel. Here's the Annihilation synopsis: A team of four (a biologist, an anthropologist, a psychologist, and a surveyor) set out into a place known as Area X. The area is abandoned and cut off from the rest of civilization. They are the 12th expedition. The other expeditions have been fraught with disappearances, suicides, aggressive cancers, and mental trauma. [Variety]

Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) is attached to direct Patrik 1.5, a remake of the 2008 Swedish dramedy Patrik, Age 1.5.  The story centers on a gay couple looking to adopt a 1 and a 1/2 year-old-boy, but instead receive a homophobic 15-year-old because of a mistaken decimal point. Expect lots of hugs, tears, messages about tolerance, general heart-warming stuff Chbosky is good at.

Fede Alvarez, whose Evil Dead remake you've probably already forgotten about, is reteaming with Sam Raimi on a different kind of thriller, A Man in the Dark. The home invasion horror follows "a group of three teens who execute perfectly planned home robberies. Their final target is a reclusive blind man who's hiding millions of dollars, but when they break into his house, they find themselves up against a psychopath with his own secrets." Alvarez will direct and co-write with Rodo Sayagues, with Raimi on board as producer. [THR]

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Trailers for Alex Garland's Sci-Fi Thriller 'Ex Machina' with Oscar Isaac,Domhnall Gleeson, and Alicia Vikander

When one things of artificial intelligences in the movies, the first thought that springs to mind, outside of the Stanley Kubrick film, is that of evil robots and nuclear scenarios inspired by Wargames and Terminator flicks. But if a movie like Spike Jonze's Her accomplished anything, it's change the way we look at our deep connection with technology. Alex Garland, the writer of 28 Days Later, Dredd, Sunshine, and many more in the genre realm, is taking some of the ideas Jonze presented in Her to a whole new level with his directorial debut, Ex Machina.

The first trailers and posters have been released for the anticipated sci-fi film, which features a great young cast in Alicia Vikander (Anna Karenina), Domhnall Gleeson, and Oscar Isaac, the latter two both starring in Star Wars: Episode VII. Gleeson plays a computer programmer hired by his company's reclusive CEO to take part in a very special experiment. He's tasked with spending time with Ava, an unique, sophisticated artificial intelligence in the form of a very seductive, alluring woman. His goal is to find out just how human Ava really is, and he may not be prepared for the answer.

There have been some pretty high expectations for this one and it looks like Garland is up to meeting them. Ex Machina opens April 10th 2015.




Ex Machina - Official International Trailer 1 (Universal Pictures) HD. by NewTrailers BOS

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Karl Urban says a 'Dredd' sequel could still happen

Fans of the Judge Dredd comic books finally got to see their favorite lawgiver done proper cinematic justice in Alex Garland's Dredd. After being saddled with the awful Sylvester Stallone film for so long, Garland's take was perfectly in keeping with the dark, totalitarian vision John Wagner originally envisioned, and Karl Urban proved to be the perfect guy to be under the helmet. Although it didn't do much at the box office, it's rapidly become a cult favorite on DVD, and now Urban says it may be enough to get a sequel green lit.

Collider caught up with Urban to talk Star Trek Into Darkness, and the conversation turned to a potential Dredd sequel. Urban revealed that he had just met with Garland over and the subject came up....

Urban:“Interestingly enough, I did have breakfast with Alex Garland this morning. It’s not off the agenda.  Clearly everyone has woken up to the fact that an audience has found this movie and loves it.  It’s entirely possible, and if people want to see another installment then they should be vocal about that, because, it can happen.  The power of fandom can resurrect projects.  In fact, that’s what happened with Star Trek.  They weren’t going to do a third season until fans did a letter writing campaign and they continued that series.”

He doesn't sound too positive, honestly, but he's right that fans will largely control the sequel's fate. The first film was produced on a relatively small budget, and if there's a significant enough push at this summer's Comic-Con then a studio may be willing to take a gamble on it.

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Alicia Vikander will get robotic in 'Ex Machina'

Having already shown she can handle a pair of historical romances in Anna Karenina and A Royal Affair, Alicia Vikander has chose a diverse slate to fill out the rest of the year. She'll star opposite Ben Barnes in the YA adaptation The Seventh Son, and then joins Benedict Cumberbatch in the Wikileaks film, The Fifth Estate. Now she's stepping into the future by starring in Ex Machina, the directorial debut by Dredd and 28 Days Later scribe Alex Garland.

Vikander and Felicity Jones (Like Crazy) were said to be the final two trying out for the role last month, at the same time that Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson were coming aboard. Isaac plays a billionaire who handpicks Gleeson to spend a week at his estate and test out his latest experiment, which turns out to be an advanced female robot, with Vikander as the fembot. Garland will direct and pen the $15M project, which is set up with his usual collaborators at DNA Films.

Filming on Ex Machina is set to begin later this year.[TheWrap]

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Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson join Alex Garland's 'Ex Machina'

It's safe to say that the sci-fi genre has been very good to screenwriter Alex Garland, which is why he's content to not try and fix what isn't broken. Getting his start with Danny Boyle on 28 Days Later and the underrated Sunshine, he moved on to pen the futuristic Never Let Me Go and last year's Dredd. A few weeks ago we learned he'd be sticking with the genre for his directorial debut, Ex Machina, and now he's assembling a talented cast to join him.

Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson, the latter having a small role in Never Let Me Go, are coming aboard the film. Written by Garland and budgeted at $15M, the story has Isaac as a billionaire  programmer, with Gleeson as his employee handpicked to spend a week at his remote estate and participate in a test involving his latest invention: an artificially intelligent female robot.  As for who will play the fembot herself, Alicia Vikander (Anna Karenina) and Felicity Jones (Like Crazy) are said to be in the running.

Producer Scott Rudin knows Isaac and Gleeson pretty well, having worked with them on Inside Llewyn Davis and True Grit.  This sounds extremely promising, and it'll be interesting to see Garland's hand behind the camera for once. [The Wrap]

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Sure Shots: Alex Garland; Jason Bateman; Chris Rock

* It's unfortunate that so many ignored Dredd last year, but I'm happy to see it hasn't slowed down screenwriter Alex Garland. He's set to make his directorial debut with Ex Machina, a sci-fi film he also wrote. Scott Rudin is producing the $15M picture, which centers on a billionaire programmer who handpicks a young employee to spend a week at his remote estate and participate in a test involving his latest invention: an artificially intelligent female robot. Sounds pretty cool, and Garland has proven himself a scribe capable of exploring complicated issues. His breakout hit was with Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, and also wrote Never Let Me Go starring Carey Mulligan. [THR]

* Already busy prepping Shawn Levy's This is Where I Leave You, and getting ready for the new season of Arrested Development, Jason Bateman is adding another potential project to his slate. He's set to produce and possibly star in Family Therapy, an original comedy-drama from writer Jay Weiss. Universal Pictures has acquired the film, which follows adysfunctional family who hire a therapist to fix all of their problems on the eve of a wedding. Bateman was recently seen in the comedy hit, Identity Thief, and will appear next as part of the Disconnect ensemble. [Deadline]

* Chris Rock hasn't directed a film since 2007's I Think I Love My Wife, but he's now secured financing for his next project behind the lens. Busy super-producers Scott Rudin and Barry Diller will produce Rock's next untitled film, which the comedian also wrote, described as an edgy comedy-romance set in the world of showbiz. Rock can be seen this summer alongside Adam Sandler in Grown Ups 2. [Deadline]

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