Alex Garland said he was done directing — now Zendaya is starring in his next sci-fi

Zendaya has signed on to an untitled science fiction film that Alex Garland will write and direct for A24, Deadline and Variety reported on 15 October 2026. The plot is under wraps, and cameras roll in 2027. Garland, meanwhile, is still finishing Elden Ring, his IMAX adaptation of the video game for A24 and Bandai Namco, which wrapped on 30 July and opens in March 2028.

Two films back to back, from a man who in 2024 was telling everyone he'd put the megaphone down.

The retirement that lasted one film

In April 2024, on the press tour for Civil War, Garland told the Guardian he had no plans to direct again for the "foreseeable future". It wasn't a new line. Two years earlier he'd told The New York Times:

"I'm not really a film director, I'm a writer who directs out of convenience."

— Alex Garland, to The New York Times, 2022

To be fair, he never said "never". Soon after, he told IndieWire he was taking a break, not retiring, and that he didn't care for the word. Here's how the break went:

• April 2024: Civil War opens to $26 million in the US, an A24 opening record.
• April 2025: Warfare arrives, co-directed with Ray Mendoza. Garland insisted Mendoza was the one directing.
• 2025–2026: he writes 28 Years Later and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple for Danny Boyle.
• April–July 2026: he shoots Elden Ring in the UK. The budget is reportedly well over $100 million, the most A24 has ever spent.
• October 2026: Zendaya signs on.

The r/boxoffice thread didn't bother with congratulations. The top comment: "From "I have retired" to two back-to-back films. Okay, Mr. Garland." The first reply enrolled him in Steven Soderbergh's school of retirement. Soderbergh quit film in 2013 and was back with Logan Lucky four years later. Garland was back on set inside two.

Zendaya picks the directors now

No studio talked Garland back into the chair. A24 has backed most of his films since Ex Machina, and it still got the "foreseeable future" speech. What got a yes was scale: a $100 million fantasy epic, then the most bankable young star in the business.

No studio could pull Alex Garland out of retirement. A star who chooses her directors could.

Look at the names on Zendaya's CV. Denis Villeneuve, Luca Guadagnino, Christopher Nolan, Kristoffer Borgli, and now Garland. She isn't queuing up for roles. She's choosing film-makers, and her 2026 explains why they say yes. The Drama, her pitch-black A24 comedy with Robert Pattinson, made almost $135 million worldwide. The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day were two of the year's biggest releases. Euphoria ended after three seasons, which frees up her calendar.

Read more: Dune: Part Three won't hit a billion — blame the book Villeneuve chose to film

One r/boxoffice reply put it plainly: "People will deny it still, but Zendaya has been proved to be a reliable star at the box office." Fair enough.

What it costs the zombies

There's a casualty. Speaking at the London Film Festival, Boyle said Garland had written a "fantastic script" for a third 28 Years Later, but that he was busy with Elden Ring. "So it's on the back burner at the moment," Boyle said.

Dune: Part Three lands in December, Elden Ring in March 2028, the Garland film after that. If it's the next Ex Machina or Annihilation, with the star of a generation in the lead, nobody will be gutted about the zombies. Just don't ask Garland about his plans for the foreseeable future.

Read more: Nolan's The Odyssey will sweep like Oppenheimer — but Matt Damon won't be its Cillian Murphy