Following the premiere of its first trailer in September 2017, the upcoming Annihilation became one of the most hotly anticipated science fiction films of 2018. Based on the acclaimed 2014 book of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer, and directed by novelist and Ex Machina director Alex Garland, Annihilation follows a biologist (Natalie Portman) as she goes searching for answers about her husband’s disappearance by joining an expedition into an environmental disaster zone.
For fans of VanderMeer’s work, it looks like Annihilation will stay relatively close to the source material, with a few notable exceptions—such as the inclusion of a fifth member on the expeditionary team. Additionally, it appears that some elements of the follow-up novel, Authority, have made it into the Annihilation adaptation. Even if you’ve never read any of VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy, there should be plenty of suspense and sci-fi to keep you entertained.