The first draft of the Persephone novel, co-authored by Future Dude Entertainment Founder Jeffrey Morris and bestselling science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson, is finished and prototyped. 

While plans for publication are on hold while Future Dude waits on final casting and possible revisions to the film script, Morris is optimistic about the story’s progress. 

“Timing is still up in the air because we have to wait,” Morris said. “It’s still progress, though, and it’s still cool. I wish I could say more.” 

Morris describes collaborating with Anderson on the novel as a “huge honor.” After a mutual friend from NASA connected the pair, they immediately clicked. 

“We’ve had far too many hours of brainstorming conversations since then,” Anderson said. “The story itself of Persephone is edgy and gritty – it’s small and has an intimate cast, but it’s a big scope with the fate of the human race at hand and surviving on an alien planet.” 

In addition to publishing more than 170 books, Anderson has also worked on many film and TV projects, including the most recent blockbuster Dune. 

“That’s kind of what shines here, I think – it just feels like [Future Dude] has their hands on everything and they understand every aspect of it,” Anderson said. “Almost like a family unit rather than a gigantic corporate studio.” 

While the film is a more condensed version of the story, Anderson says the Persephone novel provides ample opportunity for background details and historical information, aspects that are difficult to convey in a two-hour screenplay. 

Two sequels to Persephone – Valkyrie and Phoenix – are also underway to complete the trilogy. Morris has already written a screenplay for Valkyrie, which will become another novel co-authored by him and Anderson.

“Fleshing everything out, filling in blanks and doing character backgrounds… all of that provided really interesting scenes for new storylines in Valkyrie,” Anderson said. 

Anderson added that Persephone is only the beginning of his collaboration with Morris and that they have “all kinds of other ideas” for future projects. 

Future Dude plans to release the novel as an audiobook and a physical novel before the film in late 2022.