An Update On The Movie

The Last Human is definitely 100% for sure becoming a movie. Unless it isn’t.

Back in 2019, it was announced that Sony Pictures had optioned the film rights for my novel, The Last Human, with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse) attached to direct.

It was a “huge deal” (to quote Deadline). I literally had kids emailing me from all over the world asking if they could audition for the movie. (For the record, I have zero influence over casting.) Everyone was excited about the big film adaptation of The Last Human.

And then—

Six years went by.

A lot happened in those six years, both personally and globally. My wife and I had a kid. A giant pandemic wreaked havoc on the entire planet. We had another kid. Hollywood went on strike (twice). My family and I moved from the US to Germany.

Like I said. A lot. But the movie? Yeah, that still hasn't happened.

Some of this comes down to the list I laid out for you two paragraphs ago. Covid. Two Hollywood strikes. These things had a giant disruptive effect on every film and TV project. From what I've heard from my film agent, basically all the books that were in the development pipeline before the pandemic have not seen their contracts renewed.

Except The Last Human.

Much like the “Last Human” from the title, my book is a survivor. The film is STILL being developed. Lord and Miller (and the super smart creative people at their production company) remain committed to bringing The Last Human to the screen. And it appears that Sony still actually wants to do the film. Other things are happening behind the scenes. Exciting things that I can't discuss because they haven't been officially announced. We’re all hoping to begin filming on it someday.

So what's the holdup?

Well, putting aside the massive disruptions I mentioned six paragraphs ago, people are also busy. Lord and Miller have been very involved in shepherding the Spider-Verse films. Which are terrific, by the way. If you haven't checked out the first two, you absolutely should. I think they’re on Netflix. The final film in the trilogy is set to be released on June 4, 2027.

They're also in post-production on their most recent director effort: The adaptation of Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary, which looks like it's going to be incredibly cool.

But as soon as they can take a break from working on these projects, they will definitely for sure one hundred percent shift all their focus to The Last Human. Hopefully. Maybe. The truth is, I can't say with absolute certainty that the film is going to happen. But what I CAN say is that I'm optimistic. Against all odds, it has made it this far. My scrappy little kids book about the robot apocalypse is still kicking around the Hollywood development pipeline. With any luck, you'll be seeing it on the big screen at some point in the future.

​As long as the robots don't destroy us all.

---

If you’d like to read The Last Human before it becomes a huge blockbuster movie, you can find it on Amazon or Audible or lots of other places. You can also check out the sequel, Fall Of The Robots, which is available in all the usual formats and all the usual places.

Oh, and if you’re interested in auditioning for the movie…

Yeah, I still have no influence on that part. Sorry.

Okay, so there you have it. That’s the update on the film. I’ve had quite a few people asking about it, and I just wanted to set the record straight—at least, from my end.

Thanks so much for reading this week’s edition of Mistakes Were Made. I’ve had a lot of new subscribers over the last few weeks. If you’re among them, feel free to introduce yourself in the comments. And for those who’ve been here longer, the die hard readers, the Bacon Bits, you guys are the best, and I’d love to hear from you too!

See you again soon!

Lee

PS: If you want to read about one of my other experiences with Hollywood, I wrote about it in an earlier edition of this newsletter, and it remains my most popular piece. Here it is, in case you’re curious.