2025 was a quiet year for Jake Gyllenhaal, but 2026 has been anything but quiet for the star, as he’s featured in two movies on the big screen. Unfortunately for Gyllenhaal, neither The Bride nor In The Grey did well enough at the box office to warrant any merits, but both films have found success in the digital world, as most fans agree they’re much more suited to being watched at home than in theaters. Gyllenhaal has starred in plenty of famous projects over the years, with some of his most iconic features coming in the early 2010s on Prisoners and Nightcrawler. Even in 2005, he teamed up with the late Heath Ledger for Brokeback Mountain, but perhaps none of his movies have stood the test of time as well as the 2001 cult classic, Donnie Darko.

Written and directed by Richard Kelly, Donnie Darko is the definition of a cult classic — the film grossed only $7 million at the box office against a $6 million budget, but it’s become a massive hit on DVD and on streaming since it left theaters, attracting a large audience. Most fans had given up hope that there would ever be another Donnie Darko project, considering 25 years had passed from the premiere of the film in theaters until now, but this all changed today with the announcement of The Philosophy of Time Travel. The 800-page book is a direct sequel to Donnie Darko, and it’s set to be released later this year courtesy of director Richard Kelly and Range Literary Publishing. The new chapter will take place in 1988, right after the events of the film, and according to Kelly, it’s the next step in a larger plan for “multiple Donnie Darko sequels.”

What Is ‘Donnie Darko’ About?

The official synopsis for Donnie Darko, which earned scores of 88% from critics and 80% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, reads as follows: “In a funny, moving and distinctly mind-bending journey through suburban America, one extraordinary but disenchanted teenager is about to take Time’s Arrow for a ride. After surviving a freak accident, Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal) begins to explore what it means to be alive, and in short order to be in love, he uncovers secrets of the universe that give him a tempting power to alter time and destiny.” Jake Gyllenhaal’s sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal, also stars in Donnie Darko, alongside Holmes Osborne and the late Daveigh Chase, who passed away this past June at the young age of 35.

via Collider