Is Alex Garland quitting filmmaking?

Fans are hearing that Alex Garland might be quitting filmmaking. This is what he has revealed about his future in the industry.

The Civil War director has had a steady string of new movies come out over the past decade, and he’s earned a reputation as an ambitious filmmaker with his finger on the pulse.

His A24 2024 political thriller movie is his loftiest project yet, but things the director recently said have called his future in the industry into question.

Let’s go over what he said about quitting filmmaking just before the Civil War release date, and what this means for his 28 Years Later project.

Is Alex Garland quitting filmmaking?

In March 2024, Alex Garland said, “I’m not planning to direct again in the foreseeable future.”

While this isn’t an outright declaration of never directing again, hence the “foreseeable future”, Garland told The Guardian he had lost his spark. He said his feelings stem from a lack of faith in the industry, and his inability to authentically ask for trust from cast and crew working under him.

“The pressure doesn’t come from the money. It comes from the fact that you’re asking people to trust something that, on the face of it, doesn’t look very trustworthy.” As an example, he referred to asking the Civil War cast to act as if a VFX blue screen used while shooting was a night sky littered by mortar fire.

He gave another example, from the filming of Ex Machina, “Alicia [Vikander] and Sonoya [Mizuno] are trusting that nudity is going to be dealt with thoughtfully and respectfully [when] cinema leans towards not doing that.”

He also reiterated that the responsibility to those he works with, “literally keeps me awake at night.” Finally, Garland clarified, “I do actually love film, but filmmaking doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It exists in a life and also in a broader context.”

While he won’t be the solo director on a project for the foreseeable future, Garland does have another film in development, called Warfare. He is credited as co-writer and co-director on that production alongside Ray Mendoza, with a cast including Cosmo Jarvis, Will Poulter, and Joseph Quinn. Whether he ditches directorial duties there and hands over to Mendoza remains to be seen.

Is Alex Garland still working on 28 Years Later?

Despite talking about quitting filmmaking for the foreseeable future, Garland is still working on 28 Years Later as a writer.

Garland has not stepped back from 28 Years Later. He had nothing but positive things to say about returning to the horror movies, “A whole idea for a trilogy just sort of came – bing! – into my head.”

He won’t be directing the film, however.

For more on his latest, see the Civil War ending explained or the Civil War soundtrack.

For more news about upcoming movies, find out everything we know about Avatar 3 and Mission Impossible 8, or see the new movies streaming.