Overview
- Variety first reported Tuesday that Kelly’s novel, The Philosophy of Time Travel, will be published by Range Literary Publishing in the fourth quarter of 2026 to coincide with Donnie Darko’s 25th anniversary.
- The roughly 800-page book is written as found documents compiled by Donnie’s parents and covers about 14 months after the film’s ending.
- Kelly says he intends the novel to be the first step toward an animated motion-capture film based on the book and then a live-action sequel that jumps 28 years forward, though both screen projects remain at the planning stage.
- The project is presented as Kelly’s official continuation of the story and does not adopt the 2009 direct-to-video S. Darko, which he was not involved with.
- Kelly spent about a decade writing the book and says the next steps hinge on financing, studio interest, technological approaches such as motion-capture or de-aging, and whether the original cast chooses to return, with fans likely to shape demand.