English writer and filmmaker Alex Garland’s latest film “Civil War” takes on American politics this weekend, with the provocative epic that imagines a war-torn United States as seen through the eyes of a team of photojournalists capturing the action.
While “Civil War” takes place in an imaginary near or alternate future that looks quite like our reality, Garland is known for his searing sci-fi films that have captivated audiences in the past decade. But before he directed, he was a novelist and screenwriter who frequently collaborated with fellow Brit Danny Boyle.
His novel “The Beach” was adapted by John Hodge into the Boyle-directed thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio in 2000 (streaming on Starz or available to rent elsewhere). His film career soon kicked off, writing the script for the boundary-pushing zombie film “28 Days Later,” also directed by Boyle, and starring Cillian Murphy, a project that would essentially jump-start the zombie craze of the aughts. Unfortunately, “28 Days Later” is not currently streaming, so check out your local library or DVD sales for a disc.
Garland also wrote the scripts for the dystopian romantic tragedy “Never Let Me Go” in 2010, adapted from the book by Kazuo Ishiguro, directed by Mark Romanek (streaming on Starz or rent) and the 2012 script for “Dredd,” directed by Pete Travis and starring Karl Urban (stream it on Starz, Peacock, AMC+ or rent it on other digital platforms).