Richard Kelly (b. 1975) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer who became a cult figure after his 2001 debut Donnie Darko, a strange sci-fi coming-of-age story set in the 1980s that flopped in theaters but built a huge cult following on home video. He went on to direct the divisive Southland Tales (2006) and The Box (2009), but hasn't completed a feature film since.
Kelly announced the release of a book continuation of Donnie Darko titled The Philosophy of Time Travel, which will be released on December 15, 2026 and continues the film's plot 14 months after the death of the main character.
According to Kelly, the book should serve as a springboard for several film sequels - first an animated/motion-capture version and then a live-action film set 28 years later.
The director stated that he would like to work again with the original cast of Donnie Darko in a potential film sequel.
According to previous reports, Kelly was supposed to start filming a new, unspecified film in autumn 2025, but this ultimately did not happen.
Actor Lou Taylor Pucci described Kelly in an interview as a kind of genius who, however, expected greater success for the film Southland Tales than it ultimately achieved with audiences.
