The science-fiction works of author Robert Heinlein after inspired a number of adaptations over the decades. Today Lex+Otis Studios announced development of an animated film adaptation of Heinlein’s Citizen of the Galaxy. The film will be directed by Lex+Otis founder Jay Oliva from a script written by Luke Lieberman. Academy Award winner Ryan Silbert is set to produce alongside Lieberman and Oliva, with Vince Gerardis and Matt Kennedy serving as executive producers for Startling, Inc.
Official press release details below:
Citizen of the Galaxy, originally published in 1957, is an interstellar action-adventure and coming-of-age epic that begins on the bustling trade hub of the planet Jubbul. The tale centers around Thorby, an orphaned boy sold at auction under the whip of intergalactic slavery, until a fateful encounter with the enigmatic Baslim the Beggar changes the course of his life forever, setting him on a journey that will shape not only his destiny but the fate of the galaxy. Citizen of the Galaxy is one of the few Heinlein stories to not have been previously produced for film, TV or videogames.
Heinlein, widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of science fiction storytelling, has had a myriad of his works translated from page to screen over the past 75 years, most notably director Paul Verhoeven’s cult classic film version of Starship Troopers (1997), the Ethan Hawke/Sarah Snook starrer Predestination (2014), and The Puppet Masters (1994) featuring Donald Sutherland. Previous animated creations of four-time Hugo Award winner Heinlein’s works include the mini-series Red Planet (1994), starring the voices of Mark Hamill and Roddy McDowall, and both a CG animation and an anime take on Starship Troopers, one of which was directed by Jay Oliva. Film, TV, animation, and video game productions of Heinlein’s creations date back to the early 1950s.
Citizen of the Galaxy’s script has been written by Lieberman, while Oliva and his Lex+Otis team are deep into the visual development of the film – putting it squarely in a potential release window of early 2027.
As one of the most respected veterans of the animation industry, Oliva has established a standard of work that few can match – from award-winning direction of animated films for both DC/Warner Bros. and Marvel/Disney to lead storyboarding of some of the biggest box office blockbusters of this century. Oliva founded Lex and Otis Studios in 2018 with his passionate mission of creating unique, immersive stories to inspire, educate, and entertain across multiple platforms. Among L+O’s initial animated endeavors are the anime-styled, intense Trese for Netflix, the videogame-inspired Ark: The Animated Series and RAID: Call of the Arbiter, Zack Snyder’s Twilight of the Gods for Netflix, and upcoming projects that include Cradle: Unsouled, based on The New York Times best-selling book series from Will Wight and Hidden Gnome Publishing, and INFINITY: Paradise Lost, which is rooted in Corvus Belli’s international sensation table top game.
“This is an inspiring, come-full-circle career moment for me, having begun my animation directing career in the late 1990s on Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles, which were based within one of Heinlein’s most famous stories,” said Oliva. “It’s a joy and an honor to return to these massively imaginative roots, and to bring one of Heinlein’s previously unproduced works to a medium the entire planet can experience and enjoy.”
Lieberman is a writer, producer, and brand architect. As the force behind the Red Sonja franchise, he has overseen the development of hundreds of comics and novels, many of which he penned himself, helping to redefine the character for a new generation. Lieberman also serves as a producer on Red Sonja, which was released in theaters nationwide last week after receiving a hero’s welcome at Comic-Con by fans and media alike. He began his career under the mentorship of Stan Lee, later co-creating The New York Times bestselling Alliances universe alongside Lee and Silbert, cementing Lieberman’s role as a driving voice in science fiction and fantasy storytelling.
“Citizen is a book I’ve always wanted to adapt, so I’m really grateful for this opportunity,” said Lieberman. “Thorby has such a compelling character arc on his journey through the stars. He travels every walk of life, treads a mile in many different shoes, set against the biggest canvas possible, and sprung from Robert Heinlein’s wild imagination full of his wisdom and insights. This is a special story and I can’t wait to share it with a whole new generation.”
Silbert is an Oscar-winning storyteller and founder of Origin Story Entertainment where has a history of developing prestige entertainment properties with literary icons including collaborations with James Patterson, Stan Lee and Stephen King; he is currently in development with Roy Lee’s Vertigo Entertainment on a sequel to Night of the Living Dead at Amazon MGM Studios with director Nikyatu Jusu and on an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon at Lionsgate with writer/director JT Mollner.
“Heinlein has been the gold standard for a generation of science fiction fandom,” said Silbert. “Jay and Luke have a vision for this adaptation that expands on Heinlein’s original work in a way that takes advantage of everything that the animation medium offers. We couldn’t be more excited to be starting this journey together.”
Founded by Gerardis, Startling, Inc. is a production company known for bold, escapist storytelling with epic, franchise-scale ambition. The company’s credits include HBO’s Game of Thrones and its expanding universe—most notably the hit spinoff House of the Dragon — as well as AMC’s Dark Winds and the feature films Needle in a Timestack, Robots, Predestination and Jumper. Startling, Inc. is rooted in a vast library of science fiction and fantasy IP, spanning legendary authors such as George R.R. Martin, Robert Heinlein, Larry Niven, Robert Silverberg, and Kim Stanley Robinson.
“Vince and I are thrilled to be working with Luke, Ryan, and Jay on bringing this timeless classic of literature to life,” said Kennedy. “With its bold exploration of freedom, identity, and human nature, this iconic story is the perfect foundation for an animated film that will captivate both long-time fans and new audiences alike.”
ABOUT STARTLING, INC.
Startling, Inc. is a production company known for bold, escapist storytelling with epic, franchise-scale ambition. Founded by Vince Gerardis, Startling’s credits include HBO’s Game of Thrones and its expanding universe—most notably the hit spinoff House of the Dragon — as well as AMC’s Dark Winds and the feature films Needle in a Timestack, Robots, Predestination and Jumper. The company is rooted in a vast library of science fiction and fantasy IP, spanning legendary authors such as George R.R. Martin, Robert Heinlein, Larry Niven, Robert Silverberg, and Kim Stanley Robinson.
ABOUT LEX+OTIS ANIMATION STUDIO
Lex+Otis (L+O) maximizes current and next-generation techniques to develop and produce cutting-edge animation for television, film, video games, virtual reality, mobile, and more. Led by Founder and CEO Jay Oliva, the burgeoning boutique studio boasts an impressive roster of established and emerging production talent focused on creating unique, immersive stories to inspire, educate, and entertain across multiple platforms. L+O’s roster of clients/partners features Netflix, Warner Bros. Animation, TOEI Animation, Studio Wildcard, Corvus Belli, Fantasy Flight Games, SideShow Collectibles, Palladium Books, and Privateer Press. The studio’s productions include the animated limited series RAID: Call of the Arbiter, based on the popular mobile game RAID: Shadow Legends from video game publisher Plarium; Netflix Anime original Trese, a Filipino mythology-based supernatural series; the star-studded Ark: The Animated Series; the “Synder Cut” animated short that appears in episode “365!” of Teen Titans Go!; several episode cinematics for Valorant for Riot Games; as well as several yet-to-be-announced series. In addition, L+O is presently in development on more than two dozen original concepts. For more information, please visit lexandotis.com.
