Writer-director Richard Kelly is officially expanding the universe of his 2001 cult classic Donnie Darko. Titled The Philosophy of Time Travel, it’s set for release later this year through Range Literary Publishing, Variety reports. The epic 800-page sequel novel is aligned with the film’s 25th anniversary on October 26.
Written by Kelly over the past decade, the story takes place in 1988. Set in the immediate aftermath of the original film. It picks up after the tragic death of Jake Gyllenhaal’s protagonist at the end of his surreal 28-day ordeal.
Post-Traumatic Support and Secret Cults
The novel primarily alternates between the records, paranoia, and detective work of Donnie’s parents, Rose and Eddie Darko. Rather than focusing solely on sci-fi mechanics, the plot centers on how the townspeople process the aftermath of Donnie’s death. Unaware of the cosmic forces at play, the survivors form a support group that gradually evolves into a cult. Bringing together former friends and villainous characters alike as they attempt to decipher the collective dream of the tangent universe.
An Animated Bridge to a Live-Action Future
The massive novel represents the first step in Kelly’s ambitious, long-gestating plan to build out a broader cinematic franchise. After spending over two decades sorting through complex rights issues and studio permutations, the filmmaker aims to adapt the novel into an animated motion-capture movie. That project will serve as a bridge to a live-action film set 28 years in the future, which Kelly hopes will eventually reunite original cast members. That includes Drew Barrymore, Jena Malone, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mary McDonnell, and Noah Wyle.
Variety quotes Kelly as saying, “My caveat with doing a real sequel was that I want to reunite the original cast, and I want to take it onto a gigantic scale.” He continued, “”I have every actor’s voice in my head. They’re so crystal clear, and I know what they sounded like 25 years ago, I know what they sound like now.”
A Refresher
The original film Donnie Darko follows a troubled teenager who sleepwalks out of his house just moments before a jet engine crashes into his bedroom.
Following his near-death experience, Donnie begins seeing visions of “Frank,” a menacing figure in a giant, grotesque rabbit suit. Frank warns Donnie that the world will end in 28 days and manipulates him into performing a series of destructive acts that expose dark secrets throughout his town.
As the apocalyptic countdown nears its end, Donnie unlocks the mechanics of time travel. He realizes he is living inside an unstable parallel timeline—a “Tangent Universe”—created by his initial survival. To prevent the collapse of reality and save those he loves, Donnie uses a temporal wormhole to send the jet engine back to the original accident, choosing to stay in bed and sacrifice his life to restore the primary universe.
If you want to rewatch the original film or watch it for the first time, which we strongly recommend, you can find it on both Hulu and Prime Video.
Head to Variety to read the full interview with Richard Kelly.
