There are several reasons why the books do not provide a good template for any continuation of the Annihilation franchise. Upfront, it is worth noting that the second and third books aren’t nearly as beloved as the spectacular first one, and they diverge drastically from the atmospheric, waking nightmare of Annihilation. The second novel, Authority, focuses on the political maneuvering of those at the Southern Reach organization. The third novel, Acceptance, returns to Area X during the winter but focuses more on revealing the past of the area. These approaches would not work for a sequel film because of how Alex Garland’s film has already diverged from the source material. The Southern Reach organization was not portrayed to be nearly as clandestine or manipulative in the film, and watching office politics as a follow-up to a surreal eco-horror film doesn’t feel like the right way to go. There is also the fact that The Shimmer’s hold over the area was seemingly lifted at the end of the film, rendering future expeditions or investigations of this area rather moot.
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