Amiable sci-fi author Andy Weir, the New York Times bestselling author of "The Martian," "Artemis," and "Project Hail Mary", is embarking on an entirely new imaginative odyssey later this year.
It's not exactly another sci-fi book, though; It's an audiobook, and Weir is foregoing sole authorship of the project and instead co-shepherding this captivating space opera drama for the folks at Audible.
Arriving on Nov. 5, 2026, "Exoplanet" is an ambitious celestial thriller written by comic book veteran and acclaimed author Benjamin Percy ("Red Moon"), executive produced by Weir, and showcasing a stellar vocal cast that includes Anthony Mackie, the Oscar-winning Ariana DeBose, and John Leguizamo.
"When the starship Wild Blue Yonder is torn apart by a quantum anomaly, each surviving crew member crash-lands in a different era on the same deadly exoplanet — hunted, alone and running out of time," states the official synopsis.
"Chief Engineer Jeff Shaw (Anthony Mackie), aided by his virtual assistant, must battle an unforgiving present, driven by one thing: getting home to his daughter. First Officer Becca Bang (Ariana DeBose) fights to survive a hostile alien past. Science Officer Logan Bowers (John Leguizamo) wakes in a machine-ruled future that shouldn’t exist.
"But the anomaly wasn’t random. A relentless alien intelligence is feeding on human technology, and it's been waiting for them across every timeline. Separated by centuries, the crew must find a way to communicate across time itself before this world consumes them all. Blending heart-stopping action with the mind-bending science that Andy Weir is known for, 'Exoplanet' explores what it means to fight for humanity’s future when your own existence hangs in the balance."
"Exoplanet" brings together a strong creative crew and highlights sound design by Lucasfilm's Skywalker Sound, along with an original soundtrack by composer Rob Cairns ("Love, Death & Robots," "Secret Level").
Additional vocal performers include Cherry Jones ("Succession," "The Handmaid’s Tale"), Sufe Bradshaw ("Veep," "Vice"), Charlie Plummer ("The Long Walk," "Lean on Pete"), Ray Porter (Audible's "Project Hail Mary," "The Bobiverse") and Aida Osman ("Rap Sh!t").
"I'm obsessed with problems, the kind where one person and a lot of math are all that stand between survival and disaster," Weir explained in an Audible statement.
"Benjamin Percy's writing in 'Exoplanet' takes that and adds a twist that genuinely kept me up at night: What if the people trying to save each other were separated not by distance, but by centuries? You can’t see that story. You have to hear it. The crackle across a 500-year gap, the desperation in a voice that doesn't know if anyone’s still listening?"
We'll be listening, Andy! We'll definitely be listening!
Audible’s sci-fi audio drama, "Exoplanet," lands on Nov. 5., 2026.
