Boy, Danny Boyle’s just full of surprises lately. Just yesterday, we reported on the Yesterday director’s comments about a possible, “properly good” 28 Days Later sequel from the original film’s writer, Annihilation director Alex Garland. Now, he’s shared with The Independent another bit of Garland-adjacent news, this time about the pair’s 2000 collaboration The Beach. Though a critical and commercial misfire upon release, Boyle says the drama could be getting a prequel series from actress, writer, and director Amy Seimetz.
“The Beach may come back,” Boyle said. “[Seimetz] has taken The Beach and made a prequel for television. It’s the same character but it’s set now, so 20 years later—it’s a bit of a headfuck.” He added, “It’s intriguing when you see it. I’ve read the first two scripts.”
Adapted from a novel by Garland, the film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as an American who joins a utopia of travelers on a beautiful, secluded island in the Gulf of Thailand before helping usher in its collapse. Boyle’s adaptation was a bit of a mindfuck itself, with the director memorably adopting the aesthetics of the era’s video games at one point. A prequel, Seimetz’s story would presumably focus on the community’s creation.
Setting the story in our modern era instead of 1995 is a compelling idea, as the characters’ desires to escape the digital age would be that much more difficult in the social media era. We weren’t fans of the film, but with Seimetz and FX at the helm, we’re definitely curious.