Richard Kelly announces debut novel 'Gigantic' set for release

The wait for anything new from Richard Kelly is as long as it is bereft. Continually revealing and rewarding though the films, their alternate cuts, and graphic-novel prequels may be, a child born the day after The Box released is now thinking about college. When we had an in-depth conversation with him a few years ago, Kelly promised that many things are in various states of development. We believe him, and we continue our wait as the modern American cinema wilts. To paraphrase Kent Jones on John Carpenter: we do not have so many great directors to spare that we can afford to let Richard Kelly fall through the cracks.

Now the tide might finally turn: Kelly, during an interview with GQ, casually announced “a gigantic novel” that will “be published later this year.” Eliding word on what that publisher may be, Kelly went on to explain some of what we might expect, and how it feeds into larger ambitions:

“It’s science fiction, is all I can say right now. It’s definitely big. It’s epic, and I’m really, really excited for that, to at least have something new put out into the world. I wish it was a movie, but right now we’re starting with a novel. That’s something that I wanted to prove to myself. That I could do it on my own, that I could actually deliver a novel. But also you look at Project Hail Mary, and you look at all of these movies, if you want to put something original out into the world, a novel is a great vessel for delivering it to a global audience. It makes it easier to greenlight a movie if there’s a book out there.”

Kelly has spoken fondly of Philip K. Dick (influences and references abound in Southland Tales) and Thomas Pynchon, while The Box adapts Richard Matheson. Those names might set expectations, and that Kelly has written more than his fair share of memorable dialogue keeps them afloat. And because fans can (in this one’s case, have) drive themselves crazy imagining what exactly he’s been developing over the better part of 20 years, a “gigantic” project—movie or otherwise—will be wholly welcome. I just wonder what words he’ll uses to describe a portal.