Alex Garland's New Movie Is An A24 Action Movie Called Civil War Starring Kirsten Dunst

Indie sci-fi auteur Alex Garland is dreaming up something new once again, and this time it'll involve Kirsten Dunst. According to a press release, the writer/director is teaming up with A24 once again for his next project, an action movie called "Civil War." Dunst is set to star in the movie.

The filmmaker is keeping the plot details of "Civil War" close to the chest, but the studio indicates that it will be set in a near-future America. To date, Garland is most known for his surprising and existential speculative fiction, from the slow-burn A.I. thriller "Ex Machina" to the Natalie Portman-led mind-bender "Annihilation" to the introspective yet sprawling limited series "Devs."

Garland Has Two A24 Projects In The Works

Kirsten Dunst, who is gaining award season attention for her sensitive turn in "The Power of the Dog," plays an as-yet-announced main role. Other cast members include Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Cailee Spaeny. Henderson, a much-loved character actor most recently seen in "Dune," worked with Garland on "Devs" and gave one of the series' most resonant performances as elder developer Stewart. Spaeny also had a memorable role opposite Henderson on "Devs," as young male programmer Lyndon. "Civil War" will mark Moura's first collaboration with Garland, though the actor has won praise for taking on the role of Pablo Escobar in the Netflix series "Narcos."

This isn't the only project A24 has in the works with Garland. He's also working on a film called "Men," starring Jessie Buckley as a woman on vacation after the death of her ex-husband. As with every Garland project, there's likely more to "Men" than meets the eye.

A24 will be responsible for the global release of "Civil War," with Gregory Goodman, Andrew Macdonald, and Allon Reich producing. Reich and Macdonald are producers at DNA Films & TV, which has also been involved in Garland's previous projects, including "Ex Machina" and "Annihilation."

While Garland projects have never been blockbusters, each one to date has been utterly distinctive and compelling. There are few writer-directors I'd reserve a ticket for based on a movie title alone, but over the last few years, Garland has proven himself one of them. While there's no word on when "Civil War" will start filming, "Men" has reportedly already wrapped production, so Garland fans will still have something new and surprising to dig into soon.