It’s been a good couple years for the intensely talentedOscar Isaac. Following some solid supporting work inDrive, and surviving the unfathomable catastrophe that isZack Snyder’sSucker Punch, in 2011, 2013 brought him into the spotlight with his emotionally wrecked, exquisitely melancholic performance as the titular folk singer in the Coen brothers’Inside Llewyn Davis, followed by an excellent turn inJ.C. Chandor’sA Most Violent Year, a better-than-averageSidney Lumetriff from 2014.
2015 proved his biggest year yet, however, with a starring role inStar Wars: The Force Awakensand, more importantly, a hypnotic performance inAlex Garland’s hugely promising debut,Ex Machina. As the face of the male intellect run amuck, Isaac was at once seductive, frightening, and darkly funny under Garland’s direction, and according to Tracking Board andCS, they’re looking to recreate the magic in Garland’s next film. Isaac is now set to appear in Garland’sAnnihilation, the filmmaker’s adaptation of the first volume ofJeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach series of novels.
Isaac would be the first male to be cast inAnnihilationthus far, withNatalie Portmanbeing cast in the lead earlier this year, followed quickly by announcements ofJennifer Jason Leigh,Creed’sTessa Thompson, andJane the Virgin’sGina Rodriguezjoining her. In terms of casting, this would make Annihilation one of the most hugely anticipated films of 2017 already, and Garland is exactly the brand of director to craft an alluring, thoughtful aesthetic for them to perform in and around. Those who have seenEx Machinawill know that the thematic core of Garland’s film involved mankind’s manipulation, use, and abuse of women for their own advancement and unsettling pleasures. Hopefully,Annihilationwill prove to be a bit less mordant and more complexly drawn and chaotic in its characterizations, as Isaac’s character proved to be the most fascinating creation inEx Machinaby a mile and a film filled with characters as strange and complicated as him would elevate Garland’s reputation considerably.
