Attack on Titan ‘Jolted’ Alex Garland to Rethink his Upcoming Movie, Men

Over the years, many creators have drawn inspiration from anime and manga. This time, creator/director Alex Garland shares his story of how he drew inspiration from the anime giant, Attack on Titan. (Pun intended)

Garland recalls that his first point of contact with the anime was his daughter, who had recommended it to him.

He was blown away by how complex the series is and this is how he describes it – “So it hovers on this strange space between something absurdist and something actually really frightening. I was just really, really impressed.”

This, in turn, made the director rethink his upcoming movie, Men. He has pointed out that none of the film’s scenes or ideas directly relate to Attack on Titan, but it did inspire him to make his work even better.

Garland had first started working on the film’s script 15 years ago, and he refuses to reveal at which exact part of the movie’s creation he had watched Attack on Titan.

His interview had sparked joy among all Attack on Titan fans as we all could relate to Garland’s experience with the show.

“What Attack on Titan did was, it gave me a kind of jolt. And when you get a jolt, you get a chance to step outside what you’ve been working on and thinking about, and kind of clear your head and start again.”

Men, the upcoming movie by Alex Garland from studio A24, is about a woman who moves to the British countryside after a traumatizing incident. Later, she encounters several men who all want something from her, and aren’t afraid of assaulting her if their demands aren’t fulfilled.

Alex Garland’s previous works include Annihilation and Ex Machina, all of which were invigorating experiences, and I’m excited to see how his newfound love for anime plays out in Men.

About Attack on Titan

Attack on Titan is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Isayama. Kodansha publishes it in the Bessatsu Shonen Magazine.

The manga began serialization on September 9th, 2009, and ended on April 9, 2021. It has been compiled into 34 volumes.

Attack on Titan follows humanity settled within three concentric walls to protect themselves from the terrifying titans that prey on them. Eren Yeager is a young boy that believes that a caged life is similar to that of cattle and aspires to go beyond the walls one day, just like his heroes, the Survey Corps. The emergence of a deadly Titan unleashes chaos.

 Source: Polygon