Project Hail Mary Author Andy Weir Once Wrote A Prequel To A Blockbuster Sci-Fi Novel
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Andy Weir is on top of the world right now. The writer behind the book "The Martian," which inspired the Ridley Scott smash hit movie of the same name, now has another hit film based on one of his books. "Project Hail Mary" has been dominating the box office ever since it hit theaters in March, with Oscar buzz already percolating as well. But long before Weir took a man to space to meet an alien named Rocky, he penned a prequel to a much-beloved modern sci-fi tale.
The story in question is "Ready Player One," the best-selling 2011 novel by Ernest Cline. It takes place in the 2040s when humanity has invested much of its time in a digital world known as the OASIS, where a competition for a prize worth a fortune is underway. The book is loaded down with '80s references and inspired a movie of the same name that was directed by none other than Steven Spielberg, a man who has a love of nostalgia, and arrived in theaters in 2018.
Weir loved Cline's book and decided to pen a prequel, purely as fan fiction, after reading it. Titled "Lacero," it's a prequel set in the same universe as "Ready Player One." Speaking with Wisconsin Public Radio in 2018, talked a bit about the story (which you can read in its entirety on Galactanet.com if you're interested):
"I myself have written a fan fiction about the book that I posted to my web site. That's how much I liked it. I wrote a story that takes place in Ernest Kline's universe. It's a very different kind of storytelling than the kind I do. It's really fun — in the same way that I also really enjoy watching baseball games, but they don't affect my writing style."
How Andy Weir's Ready Player One fanfic became canon
Fan fiction is primarily something a fan imagines, but which usually has no bearing on the actual franchise. Sometimes, though, these stories can lead to something more. Plenty of movies started as fan fiction, and in the case of Andy Weir's unprompted prequel to "Ready Player One," the story later became part of the canon in Ernest Cline's universe.
The folks at Subterranean Press published a special edition of the book in 2016 and it included "Lacero" as "additional fiction." In a Facebook post, Weir explained how his story wound up being published alongside Cline's book.
"Shortly after reading Ernie Cline's masterpiece 'Ready Player One,' I knew I had to make a fanfic. I just needed more of that world. So I wrote a short story called 'Lacero' and posted it to my site (with a big fat warning that it spoils 'RPO' so you should read that first). Ernie read it and liked it. So the recent Subterranean Press version of Ready Player One has some extra materials including 'Lacero!'"
"They sent me a couple of copies of the edition, so I sent Ernie a thank-you email," Weir added. "I got this reply: 'Hey Andy! So glad you received your copies. Thank YOU once again for letting us republish your short story. Now it's canon! I hope you're well, sir. -Ernie.'"
Cline later published a sequel, "Ready Player Two," which had a movie adaptation in the works back in 2021. Whether or not that's still happening remains to be seen, but who knows? Given Weir's success as of late, maybe Hollywood can look to "Lacero" for inspiration to keep the franchise going.