Gina Rodriguez May Join EX MACHINA Director Alex Garland's ANNIHILATION

Alex Garland's directorial debut Ex Machina will probably make it onto my best movies of 2015 list, and I can't wait to see what he does next. Thankfully, it seems like I won't have to wait very long. He already has a new movie lined up called Annihilation which has Natalie Portman attached to star, and The Wrap reports that Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez is now in talks to join her.

Annihilation is an adaptation of an upcoming book by Jeff VanderMeer, and the story centers on “a four-person expedition into Area X, a territory cutoff from civilization. While there, [a biologist] must deal with a mysterious contamination, disappearing colleagues, a deadly animal and a being known as the Crawler, all while searching for clues regarding her husband’s disappearance.” Portman will play the biologist, who doubles as the film's narrator. The three remaining team members include a surveyor, an anthropologist, and a psychologist, who serves as the group's leader. Fellow Oscar-winner Frances McDormand is up for one of the other leads, presumably the psychologist. There's no word on which role Rodriguez would play if her deal goes through.

I haven't seen Jane the Virgin or Rodriguez's hip hop indie film Filly Brown, but I've heard nothing but great things about the former and Rodriguez has established herself as a bona fide rising star, equally capable of drama and comedy. She was reportedly up for the female lead in Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII, but since Annihilation is scheduled to shoot during her break from Jane the Virgin this spring, it looks like this will take her out of contention for that role. Star Wars movies will be around for a long, long time, and there will be plenty of opportunities for Rodriguez to star in one of those down the line. Hopefully Annihilation will be a worthy substitute.