It’s safe to say we’ve seen just about enough Hollywood representations of square-jawed, all-American space explorers. From Interstellar to The Martian, we get a pretty clear profile of the people studio execs see fit to take on unknown galactic frontiers and face unforeseen extraterrestrial dangers. Thankfully, that paradigm is about to be turned well on its head by an upcoming production from Ex Machina director Alex Garland. Based on the first book in sci-fi lit guru Jeff VanderMeer’s The Southern Reach Trilogy, the film entitled Annihilation will actually be about highly educated female space explorers and may feature not one, but two Latinas as reported by The Wrap.
Yes, you read correctly. As Annihilation ramps up its development phase, it seems Oscar-winner Natalie Portman will have the pleasure of acting alongside the painfully lovable Boricua Gina Rodriguez, with a possible turn by part-Panamanian Tessa Thompson, who is weighing the part in the wake of her breakout role in Creed. The film tells the story of a psychologist, biologist, surveyor, and anthropologist who venture into uninhabited area name Area X after previous expeditions have suffered from unexplainable bouts of amnesia and premature deaths from cancer. Told through the biologist’s field journal, the journey quickly turns into a desperate bid for survival as the explorers enter a strange hypnotic state.
Of course, it might be hard for anyone to outlive Natalie Portman, but here’s to hoping that the Latinas don’t kick the bucket first.