Gina Rodriguez Joins Natalie Portman In ‘Annihilation’, From ‘Ex Machina’ Director Alex Garland
Alex Garland’s directorial debutEx Machinahas proven to be one of thevery best films of 2015, thanks in no small part to the exceptional actors at its core: futureStar Warsstars Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson, and the suddenly ubiquitous Alicia Vikander. Now his follow-up featureAnnihilation, set up at Paramount, is collecting a similarly promising cast.Natalie Portmanjoined the sci-fi projectback in May, and now word is she’ll be joined byGina Rodriguez. TheJane the Virginstar recently attracted some attention when she was reported to bein the runningfor the Rian Johnson-directedStar Wars Episode VIII. More on the Gina Rodriguez Annihilation casting after the jump.TheWrapreports Rodriguez is currently in talks forAnnihilation, which Garland will write as well as direct. Based on a novel byJeff VanderMeer, the film “follows a group of women who take on a dangerous mission where the laws of nature don’t apply.” Portman plays the narrator, a biologist.Annihilationhas attracted the attention of several other high-profile stars includingFrances McDormand.Julianne MooreandTilda Swintonwere also said to be eyeing roles at one point, but that no longer seems to be the case.Scott Rudinis producing.
Rodriguez first broke through in 2012 with the hip-hop indieFilly Brown, but she really blew up when she landed the lead on The CW’sJane the Virgin. The telenovela-inspired dramedy has proven to be an excellent showcase for both her dramatic chops and her comedic ones. Rodriguez’s nimble performance is a huge part of what keeps the show’s tricky tone from spinning out of control, and it earned her aGolden Globeearlier this year. Outside ofJane the Virgin, Rodriguez has just finished shooting Peter Berg’sDeepwater Horizon. However,Annihilationwill be her biggest movie role to date.
And now for the bad news:Annihilationis shooting in spring 2016, during Rodriguez’s break fromJane the Virgin. This very likely means that —suspicious social media activitynotwithstanding — Rodriguez is no longer in the running forStar Wars Episode VIII. Still, as consolation prizes go, an Alex Garland movie is pretty great one.
BetweenAnnihilationand thoseStar Warsrumors, it’s clear Rodriguez is about to be huge. If you’d like to catch up with her before she gets there,Jane the VirginSeason 1 has just hit Netflix and it’s well worth checking out. Once you get past the ridiculous-sounding title and premise (and the show is perfectly aware of how very ridiculous they are), what emerges is a remarkably sharp, sweet dramedy that feels like nothing else on television.
