Hollywood has mined the works of late sci-fi master Robert A. Heinlein for decades. There was the Donald Sutherland feature The Puppet Masters (1994), then the campy Paul Verhoeven feature Starship Troopers (1997) and the stylish Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook headlined Predestination (2014). Heinlein, who died in 1988, remains an influential force in the world of sci-fi, with a new Starship Troopers movie from Neill Blomkamp also on the docket.
But now, one book that’s never been on adapted has an animated movie in the works: the 1957 novel Citizen of the Galaxy.
The project hails from prolific animation director Jay Oliva and his Lex+Otis banner. Oliva, a veteran of both DC and Marvel animated features, will helm after working on projects as disparate as Zack Snyder’s Twilight of the Gods and creating storyboards for Deadpool and Wonder Woman.
Luke Lieberman, known for the Red Sonja comic book franchise, is penning the script. Ryan Silbert, who produced the Oscar-winning short God of Love, will produce, along with Oliva and Lieberman.
The novel was an interstellar coming-of-age action-adventure story that centers on Thorby, an orphan boy auctioned into slavery until an encounter with Baslim the Beggar changes his life and sets him on a journey that will shape the fate of the galaxy.
“This is an inspiring, come-full-circle career moment for me, having begun my animation directing career in the late 1990s on Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles, which were based within one of Heinlein’s most famous stories,” said Oliva. “It’s a joy and an honor to return to these massively imaginative roots, and to bring one of Heinlein’s previously unproduced works to a medium the entire planet can experience and enjoy.”
Vince Gerardis and Matt Kennedy will executive produce for Startling, Inc.
Luke Lieberman, Jay Oliva, and Ryan Silbert
Andrew Werner; Gary Miereanu; Ryan Silbert
The script is already written, and the team is far into the visual development for the film. It is now discussing casting as it eyes a 2027 theatrical release.
“Citizen is a book I’ve always wanted to adapt, so I’m really grateful for this opportunity,” said Lieberman. “Thorby has such a compelling character arc on his journey through the stars. He travels every walk of life, treads a mile in many different shoes, set against the biggest canvas possible, and sprung from Robert Heinlein’s wild imagination full of his wisdom and insights. This is a special story, and I can’t wait to share it with a whole new generation.”
