Bryan Singer: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress

According to Hollywood Reporter, Bryan Singer has announced that his next project following X-Men: Apocalypse will be an adaptation of the 1966 Science Fiction novel The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein.

While there can be no doubt that this news will cause confusion and apprehension amongst the fanbase, to whom Singer’s return to the franchise promised a return to quality following the contentious X-Men 3: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, it is yet unknown whether this news suggests an expiration date for Sony’s X-Men franchise. James Mangold has recently revealed that his next Wolverine film will be released in 2017, a full year after X-Men Apocalypse. Similarly, Hugh Jackman has recently announced that he wishes to continue playing his character forever.

The adaption of Heinlein’s novel, retitled Uprising, will be adapted by Marc Guggenheim – Arrow’s executive producer. Singer will produce the project with Lloyd Braun and Thor Halvorssen, with Alex Lloyd and Richard Martin as co-producers. Rumours suggest that Andrew Mittman and Jason Taylor have been chosen as executive producers.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, originally published in 1966, was one of Robert A. Heinlein’s most successful novels. Serialised in the Worlds of If magazine, it won the both the Nebula and Hugo literary awards in 1967, respectfully. The original novel tells the story of the Luna revolution as told through the viewpoint of Manuel ‘Mannie’ Garcia O’Kelly-Davis, a native born Luna inhabitant working as a computer technician following a laser-drilling accident.

There have been numerous attempts to adapt it before, most famously by Tim Minear (known for his work on Firefly, American Horror Story and Angel) in 2004. If Uprising reaches release, it will be the first successful adaption of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

Several of Heinlein’s novels have been adapted to cinema in the past, including, most famously, his 1959 novel Starship Troopers (1997) and The Puppet Masters (1994).

X-Men Apocalypse is set to be released in 2016.