Alex Garland has become an exciting filmmaker in his own right with his directorial debut Ex Machina and his second film, the buzzworthy Annihilation, but Garland has been working as a writer for a long while. Garland first began as a novelist, and his first book was The Beach, which was adapted into a film by Danny Boyle in 2000. That movie was dubbed a flop at the time, mostly because it was not was some people were expecting, but now it sounds like a new version of The Beach may be on the horizon.

Garland broke the news during a reddit AMA (via The Playlist), where he revealed that “someone very talented” is currently working on “a possible adaptation,” adding that he’s ‘really interested to see what they write.” The writer/director offered no further details and his inclusion of the word “possible” seems to indicate this is far from a sure thing, but it’s intriguing nonetheless.

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Image via 20th Century Fox

Based on Garland’s own travels across Europe, The Beach tells the story of a young backpacker’s search for an isolated beach untouched by tourism. What he discovers, however, is a paradise with a dark underbelly.

That’s an evergreen premise and I’d definitely be interested in seeing a new version. Boyle’s film was a pretty big deal at the time, as it marked a highly anticipated follow-up from Titanic superstar Leonardo DiCaprio but also led to a falling out with Boyle’s Trainspotting star Ewan McGregor, who was promised the lead role by Boyle. Garland went on to script not only 28 Days Later… but also Boyle’s sci-fi thriller Sunshine, and the rest is history.

One request for this The Beach remake: Please maintain the scene where the movie turns into a video game.

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