This post was originally published on Audible.com.
As a comic book veteran, Benjamin Percy is no stranger to writing action-packed stories with complicated protagonists—but when he was tapped to write the first Andy Weir-produced Original for Audible, the audio-first story proved to be a whole new type of challenge. One that, in my opinion, he rose to spectacularly. In this interview, I sought to understand how he approached the writing process, what elements he found the most rewarding, and what he thought about the final production.
Sam Danis: Tell me a little bit about the genesis of Exoplanet. Was it always destined to be an audio drama?
Benjamin Percy: I was part of a bake-off, one of several writers vying to work on the launch of “Andy Weir Presents.” Here’s what was going through my brain when I built the pitch. Marvel and DC. I’ve been writing for comics since 2014. So I’m accustomed to taking on legacy properties. Whether it’s Wolverine or Batman or Predator or Star Wars or Indiana Jones—I find a way to honor the history of the “brand” and put a fresh spin on it. Maybe it sounds funny to compare Andy Weir to Batman, but it’s not that big of a stretch. Because Andy Weir has built his own brand of storytelling, a subgenre of sci-fi.
So, I looked at core elements of his work. A space disaster. A thrilling roller coaster of a plot with a big heart beating at the center. Communication challenges. Hard science. Quippy humor. Problem-solving. Etc. And then? I didn’t want to do karaoke. I didn’t even want to be a cover band. I wanted to channel the spirit and ethos of Andy Weir into something that felt new and exciting.
I’ve always loved Trojan-horsing stories inside one another. My novel The Ninth Metal, for instance, is a sci-fi story, but it’s got a crime family saga (similar to The Godfather) nested inside it. That’s what we’re doing in Exoplanet. It’s an Andy Weir space disaster—with a time travel story Trojan-horsed inside it.
Andy Weir serves as the executive producer on Exoplanet. What was it like working with him?
You already know Andy has a big brain. But what you might not know is that he’s very, very funny. And a generous collaborator. He would offer notes on science, on character, on plot mechanics. But here’s the thing about his notes that I really appreciate. He didn’t do the standard Hollywood thing (where you need a code-breaker and a microscope and a psychology degree to determine “the note behind the note”). Instead, Andy would simply say, “This isn’t working, and here’s how to fix it." And his fix was always exactly right.
You’ve written extensively for comic books—a highly visual medium, and yet also highly action-focused in nature. How do you feel your experience there influenced how you approached an audio-only project like this?
My first audio project was Wolverine: The Long Night, and I learned very quickly that the rules of comic books (or screenplays or novels) don’t translate to audio. I had to build up a new storytelling arsenal.
I could riff about this for hours. But here’s a quick example. Fight scenes are an essential part of comic books, but how do you write a fight scene for audio that doesn’t completely bewilder the audience? This one example is representative of a question you’re constantly asking yourself: How do I ground my audience? How do I make them feel oriented in time (macro time like the month or year, micro time like morning, afternoon, night), place, weather, character, etc.
There are, though, valuable techniques I’ve learned from comic books that have made me a better novelist, screenwriter, and audio drama writer. Again, I could speak at length about this topic, so I’ll give you one example. It’s what I call triangulation. Comics are supposed to be visually interesting, yeah? So you can’t simply have Batman and Robin plunk their butts down on a park bench to talk about some heavy feelings. Otherwise the nerds would be asking for their $2.99 back. If my characters are going to work through some emotional trouble, I have to give them a task. Chasing down a bad guy. Escaping a creature. Fighting their way out of a trap. Fixing the broken Batmobile. Whatever. By triangulating the moment, you give them something interesting to do that also can externalize whatever they’re wrestling with inside. I’m using this same trick in Exoplanet. My characters are constantly doing (surviving crashes, fighting off giant bugs, whatever), which gives us something fun to worry over and listen to while also growing emotionally.
How much involvement did you have in the production? What was it like to hear it all come together into a final project?
Oh, man. Exoplanet is one of the most creatively fulfilling projects I’ve ever worked on, because I’ve been able to work with the whole Audible crew—from first pitch to final cut. Matt Patterson really welcomed me and coached me and encouraged my feedback all throughout this process, which meant I got to sit in on all the recordings, mull over ideas for music and sound effects, fuss over the edits. Here’s Jennifer keeping everything organized and Marcelino offering up his wizard of an ear and Rob playing around on his synthesizer and Stephen connecting with actors and Roy coming up with crazy sound effects and Patrick editing a thousand hours a week and Marshall guiding the ship. So many folks made this project happen. Sometimes, as a novelist, I get a little lonely. But it’s so energizing to work with a team of cool, talented people who are all trying to tell the best possible story.
What do you hope listeners take away from the story?
Sometimes, when you open up social media or read the news, you feel like screaming. There’s a lot of pain and confusion in the world right now. We’re all worried about the future. But I’m an optimist. And Andy Weir is an optimist. Exoplanet is a story of heart and hope in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges.
After this experience, do you see yourself writing for audio again? Do you have any dream projects in mind?
Yes, please! I’ve been busily pitching and building, and I hope I can keep telling stories with you all, because you’re the premier destination for audio and this has been such a thrill.
