Joseph Quinn teases Alex Garland’s upcoming film, Warfare, addressing the filming experience and comparing it to working on Gladiator II. Alex Garland’s movies have received positive reviews from critics since his directorial debut with 2014’s Ex Machina. The seasoned director has since collaborated with Ray Mendoza to direct and write Warfare, a film stylized in real-time following a group of Navy SEALs carrying out a mission in 2006. The film stars D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as Mendoza himself, while other major stars like Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Michael Gandolfini, and Joseph Quinn were also confirmed.
Speaking with ScreenRant during a panel at Megacon 2025, Quinn offered new details on Warfare, explaining how accurately the movie paints Mendoza’s real-world military contributions through his co-direction with Garland. The star lists off the many high-profile actors ᴀssociated with the project, while revealing the entire movie was sH๏τ in just five weeks. He favorably compared it to his work on Gladiator II, teasing how similar yet different the movie feels. Check out what Quinn had to say below:
I don’t know how much I can share, but I will share as much as I think I can. It was like Gladiator with a different flavor. It was a strange brief, in the fact that Alex Garland is in a tunnel, and I’ve admired his work for so many years. He wanted to co-direct this film with Ray Mendoza, who is an excellently sealed serviceman, and to recreate something that has happened in Ray’s life, anecdotally, and totally truthfully. So that was a very interesting prospect from a filming perspective. Because a lot of the time, there’s execs, there’s producers trying to dabble with the narrative a little bit. But that was sacrosanct. No one was going anywhere near that. That was preserved. It was only going to cost a break, or any of the other unseals that were there on that day. The making of it was beautiful. There are incredible actors in here. Will Poulter, Charles Melton, Kit Conner. Cosmo Jarvis. It’s an incredible development. I’m going to miss some names. We had three weeks of boot camp, and then we sH๏τ it in five weeks, and it was an incredible experience. I’ve actually seen it, so I can’t say too much, but it’s quite something that I’m incredibly proud to be a part of.
What Quinn’s Statement Says About Alex Garland’s Warfare
The Movie’s Intriguing Premise Is Bolstered By The Actor’s Praise
Warfare will be the first of two Garland movies arriving in 2025, with the second being the first upcoming 28 Years Later movie, which he’ll be writing but not directing. This first film, however, will be more in line with the director’s 2024 project, Civil War, which imagined a dystopian United States in the last days of a second Civil War. His collaboration with Mendoza will be more grounded in reality, with Quinn and other actors portraying soldiers during a real mission the co-director and co-writer was part of during his time in the Navy.
Quinn’s positive comparison of the movie to his time on the cast of Gladiator II emphasizes a potentially similar tone, with a seriousness that’s complimented by emotion-driven action sequences. Given the movie’s premise is based on real events, what transpires will likely also remain respectful of the reality it’s adapting, paying homage to the efforts of soldiers who were part of the film’s highlighted mission. The actor offering such praise for the movie also means it will stand out within Garland’s career, because of both presentation and premise.
Our Take On Quinn’s Praise For Warfare
Alex Garland’s New Movie Is Poised To Be Another Hit
With Quinn offering such high praise for Warfare, Garland’s new movie is already poised to be another major hit for the busy director. Since he’ll be starring in the movie with plenty of other recognizable faces, the film’s proven talent will help to elevate its premise as its pulse-pounding events unfold. With the film just a few months away, it won’t be long until the movie can prove itself another worthy entry in the filmmaker’s catalog.
Warfare arrives in theaters on April 11, 2025.
