Duncan Jones' Script 'Mute' To Become A Graphic Novel

A couple years ago, it looked like Duncan Jones might follow up his debut feature, Moon, with a sci-fi film called Mute. Set in futuristic Berlin, the script follows a mute bartender looking for his abducted girlfriend. Comparisons were made to Blade Runner, and some script reviews praised the visual detail implied by the script. But financing turned out to be difficult to come by, and the director signed on to make Source Code instead. Now, with that film almost in theaters, people are asking about the next film for Duncan Jones.

At one point he suggested that Mute might become a graphic novel before anything else — shades of Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain — and now he says that is definitely the plan.

Here's what the director told Gordon and the Whale when asked if Mute might be his next film:

Not MUTE, no. Although, I can sort of tell you that I've been talking to my producer today and we have decided that we're going to release MUTE as a graphic novel. Because we've had so many problems trying to get this film made, you know? The people who are involved with financing films have just been...shy...shy of making the script. So what we decided to do is we're going to make a graphic novel of it, prove it...prove it to an audience that this works and maybe in the future get the chance to come back and make it.

Today via Twitter he also said,

If anyone has a recommendation on the best publishers for graphic novels, (US only, I'm afraid,) let me know. I'm a researchin'.

Researchin' for Mute, it would seem.

In the interview with GatW, Mr. Jones also said that he is looking into what will be his third film, and that he is interested in making a "city-based, futuristic sci-fi film." With producers saying they want to make a spin-off from Blade Runner, one can only imagine that someone will get the idea to put everyone in the same room, at least. But before that happens it seems that Duncan Jones has his eye on a different project that will satisfy his city-based sci-fi urges. He'll be doing many interviews over the next couple weeks, so we'll very likely have more info soon.