The real test will be getting a soundtrack half as good as the original.
Back in 2000, Alex Garland was “just” a novelist.
In the years since then, he has moved on to being a much-sought after screenwriter (28 Days Later, Sunshine, Never Let Me Go, Dredd) and director (the Oscar-winning Ex Machina).
He is currently on the promotional campaign for his new sci-fi-horror Annihilation (which is getting some amazing reviews, by the way), and he took to Reddit to take part in an AMA – or Ask Me Anything – session.
During the session, he was asked by a fan about The Beach, a book that Garland wrote back 1996, and was adapted for the big screen by Danny Boyle (who Garland would go on to work with again on 28 Days Later and Sunshine).
At the time, the movie caused a huge falling out between Boyle and actor Ewan McGregor, as they had worked together previously on Shallow Grave and Trainspotting, and McGregor was lined up for the leading role before Boyle decided to go with Leonardo DiCaprio instead, who was hot off the back of Titanic and a more promising box office draw.
In hindsight, McGregor may have dodged a bullet, as while the movie did go on to some financial success ($144 million from a $50 million production budget), it was a critical dud, with just 19% on Rotten Tomatoes, while DiCaprio went on to receive a Razzie nomination for Worst Actor.
However, at the time, The Beach was inescapable, especially thanks to that killer soundtrack, which included the still-amazing-to-this-day All Saints track ‘Pure Shores’, as well as tracks from Moby, Underworld, Leftfield, Blur, Orbital, Faithless and New Order, basically making a perfect sonic time-capsule of the late ’90s / early ’00s.
So, back to Reddit, the question asked, and Garland’s response:
Q: Do you think there will ever be another shot at adapting The Beach? Would you be interested in doing it at all, or rather leave it to others? I always thought making it a one off mini-series, like Band of Brothers, would be a great way to adapt the book.
A: Well, someone very talented is currently working on a possible adaptation, so I’m really interested to see what they write.
It isn’t clear if the new adaptation will be for the cinema or the small screen, but the fact that Garland himself is interested in what this “very talented” person is going to do with his book… well, that also has us very excited.
In the meantime, let us take another look at the trailer for Garland’s new movie, which hits Netflix here from Monday 12 March.
Clip via Netflix UK & Ireland
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