8 Years Ago, an Unfilmmable Sci-fi Book Became an Epic Movie (And We’re Still Waiting on the Sequel)

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Science fiction movies have always been about bringing the impossible to life, and a great example of this came out eight years ago today. Sci-fi explores far-off planets, the distant future, and incredible scientific breakthroughs. While imagining these ideas is one thing, actually showing them convincingly on screen is a huge challenge. That’s why the most successful sci-fi films are so impressive – they make viewers believe these fantastic worlds could actually be real.

Science fiction is hugely popular at the movies, powering major franchises like Marvel, DC, Star Wars, and Avatar. However, most of these films focus on thrilling stories rather than the science behind them. When movies do try to realistically explain fantastical ideas, it can be really captivating, and that’s what happens in this case.

Alex Garland’s Annihilation Was Released Eight Years Ago

The 2018 sci-fi film Annihilation remains a standout movie of the 2010s and is still highly regarded. It’s based on the first book in Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy, which centers around a secretive government agency called Southern Reach. This agency investigates Area X, a mysterious, quarantined zone where nature has completely taken over. Area X has swallowed up any signs of human life, turning everything into something natural and strange. People who enter Area X often experience bizarre transformations, with many succumbing to illness, death, or even turning against each other.

The Southern Reach Trilogy blends science fiction with cosmic horror, drawing on classic stories in the genre. Cosmic horror is famously hard to bring to the screen because it relies on showing things that are meant to be beyond understanding. So, adapting a story like Annihilation without losing its unique appeal seemed like a huge challenge. However, Alex Garland felt confident he could do it.

Alex Garland signed on to write and direct Annihilation in late 2014 and chose to diverge from the source material. He deliberately avoided reading the sequels to maintain creative freedom. While writing, Garland minimized referencing the book, relying instead on his recollection to create a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere. This approach allowed him to significantly alter the story’s world, including renaming Area X to “The Shimmer” and establishing a clear alien origin—a departure from the book’s more mysterious explanation.

Although Annihilation didn’t perform well at the box office – earning only $43.1 million with a $55 million budget – it was a hit with critics. It currently has an 88% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, though audience scores are a bit more mixed at 67%. Many consider it to be one of the best films of 2018 and a standout work by director Alex Garland.

Will Annihilation Ever Get A Sequel?

As a big fan of Annihilation, I’m still holding out hope for a sequel! It’s based on the first book of Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy, and the other two – Authority and Acceptance – would honestly make incredible films. Sadly, it doesn’t look like we’ll ever get a full movie trilogy, which is a real shame.

Alex Garland has said he doesn’t plan to make a sequel to Annihilation, which makes sense given his approach to the original film (according to IndieWire). He deliberately skipped the sequels in the Southern Reach book series when he first adapted the story, so it would be unusual for him to revisit them now. Because he already made significant changes to the first book, any sequel adaptation would require even more alterations, making it a difficult creative path.

Plus, it’s unlikely we’ll see a sequel to Annihilation. The first film didn’t make much money at the box office, so Paramount Pictures is probably hesitant to fund another one – it’s just not considered a guaranteed success. Even if a follow-up movie would be well-made, studios generally need to be confident it will earn a profit before investing a lot of money.

It appears Annihilation will remain a single film, and that’s probably a good thing. Although some fans might have hoped for more movies based on the book series, ending with this one excellent film is the best choice. Annihilation works perfectly as a standalone story, and Paramount is smart to avoid making a sequel that could diminish its quality.

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2026-02-23 18:13