'Donnie Darko' Is Getting a Sequel Written by Richard Kelly

Fans of Donnie Darko have been waiting for years for news about the universe created by Richard Kelly and brought to the screen with Jake Gyllenhaal as the lead in 2001. Now, according to Variety, that wait may be nearing its end. 

According to the publication, Kelly wrote a sequel to the film in the form of a book that is expected to hit stores later this year. The novel, titled “The Philosophy of Time Travel”, is 800 pages long and takes place in 1988, immediately after the events of the original film.

Richard Kelly said he hopes to adapt the novel into an animated film made using motion capture before continuing the story with a live-action project that would jump 28 years into the future. “This section of the sequel would be animated and, in theory, if that happens, there would be a massive 28-year time jump or something like that, and if the actors want to play their roles in the flesh, that would also be wonderful,” the director told Variety. “So we’ll see what happens.”

Kelly has not directed a feature film since releasing The Box in 2009 — the same year that the sequel S. Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale was released, which did not involve the director.