The works of author Andy Weir have proven to be excellent foundations for blockbuster films. In 2015, Ridley Scott’s adaptation of The Martian was one of the most successful movies of the year, earning $630.6 million at the worldwide box office and seven Oscar nominations (including Best Picture and Best Actor). Time will tell how Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s Project Hail Mary fares on the awards circuit, but that film is shaping up to be another hit Weir adaptation. Early Project Hail Mary reviews have been very enthusiastic and box office predictions estimate an opening weekend of $50 million. Fortunately for sci-fi fans, Weir is working on a new novel that could become a film one day.
In an interview with Screen Rant to promote the upcoming release of Project Hail Mary, Weir provided an update on his next book. “I’m working on my next book right now. I’m not talking about it publicly, but it’s science fiction, of course, and it’s a new standalone story,” he said. “It’s not a sequel to anything.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Weir addressed the possibility of writing a Project Hail Mary sequel. “Hopefully, in time, I’ve got bits and pieces of good ideas for sequels, but not enough to run with. If I’m going to sequel it, I want it to be good.”
Will Project Hail Mary 2 Ever Be Written?
Weir has the right mentality regarding sequels to his previous works. He should only move forward with an idea if he feels it is a strong enough concept to be a worthy follow-up. The Project Hail Mary book was a widely acclaimed bestseller, so it would be a shame if a direct sequel did not meet the high expectations fans would surely have. Sometimes, it’s better for stories to remain standalone than to tack on another chapter that underwhelms and risks spoiling what made the original so great. Even if Project Hail Mary ends up being as big of a hit as it’s posed to be, Weir should not let the film’s success dictate whether or not a sequel novel gets off the ground.
There will surely be plenty of interest in a Project Hail Mary 2 if Lord and Miller’s movie is successful, but Hollywood will have other ways to capitalize on its performance. Lord and Miller have been developing an adaptation of Weir’s novel Artemis for years, and recently confirmed that project is still on the table. Right now, the two are trying to figure out an efficient way to shoot moon gravity to keep the production budget in check. The Artemis story is set on the moon, so this is an important detail to nail down. Artemis was first announced in 2017 but it does not have a release date as of this writing.
Weir didn’t share any story details about his new upcoming novel, but whatever it’s about, it wouldn’t be surprising if movie studios came calling to buy the rights in the not too distant future. The film adaptations for both Artemis and Project Hail Mary were announced before those respective books were published, which can likely be attributed to the massive success of The Martian. After seeing Scott’s film perform extremely well commercially and critically, Hollywood executives wanted to get into the Andy Weir business. Project Hail Mary is on track to prove The Martian wasn’t a fluke, so demand for the rights to Weir’s next book will only increase.
The Martian and Project Hail Mary illustrate that Weir’s storytelling is built for the big screen, as he’s displayed a knack for crafting emotional narratives set against expansive, cinematic backdrops. Hopefully, the adaptations of Artemis and his new novel turn out just as well. If they do, Weir could be something akin to Philip K. Dick, whose sci-fi stories were used as the basis for classics like Blade Runner, Total Recall, and Minority Report. Whether Weir keeps writing original stories or finally cracks the code on a sequel, it will be exciting to see his next film adaptation.
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