Ex Machina and Civil War director is retiring from filmmaking after losing passion despite great reactions to his latest film

Alex Garland has confirmed his plans to retire just two weeks before his latest pic Civil War is set to hit the big screen.

“Nothing’s changed,” Garland told The Guardian. “I’m in a very similar state. I’m not planning to direct again in the foreseeable future.”

Civil War, starring Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny, is set to hit theaters in April. The pic follows a group of journalists struggling to survive in a United States ravaged by a second American Civil War where the US government has become a dystopian dictatorship. Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson,  and Nick Offerman.

The film is sitting at a 92% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics calling it an “big, viscous, action-packed war picture” and an “epic but deeply intimate piece.”

Warfare, Garland’s most recently announced pic, just rounded out its cast with Kit Connor, Cosmo Jarvis, Finn Bennett, and Will Poulter. Garland is set to co-write and co-direct with Ray Mendoza, with A24 set to distribute the film. We can infer that this film will be Garland’s tentative last, as it’s hard to imagine he’ll cancel this one (though he could always leave the project and hand over directing duties to Mendoza).

Civil War had its world premiere on March 14 at South by Southwest. The pic is set to hit theaters in the US and the UK on April 12, moved up from its initial April 26 release date. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies in 2024 and beyond.