Apple TV has reportedly paid a six-figure sum to secure the rights to a high technology novel before it even found a publisher.
Before any book reaches the shelves, it has already been considered for a movie or TV series. In this case, J S Mayank and David Carlyle's "Fallen Astronaut" was a manuscript without a publication deal, until Apple stepped in with a high six-figure offer.
According to Deadline, the manuscript was being circulated to book publishers in early November 2025. It was about to enter a bidding auction for publication rights when Apple stepped in.
That auction is specifically for the novel rights rather than film or television, and reportedly will still go ahead. But publishers will presumably not now be able to bid for the ancillary rights, such as dramatization.
The deal will still be attractive to publishers, though. That's both because the book is presumably expected to sell well, but also there should now be a global marketing effort by Apple.
Little is known about the plot of "Fallen Astronaut," except that reportedly it includes a significant sequence that revolves around VR. The film version has been described as being "Gravity" crossed with "A Few Good Men."
The film version will be made for Apple TV by 1201 Films, which is current producing "My Wife and I Bought a Ranch" at Amazon. It will be executive produced by authors Mayank and Carlyle.
Apple has not commented on the deal. But it comes shortly after Apple executives did speak about some future plans for the streaming service.
