Fans of Gerry Anderson have been given a exciting rallying call to support a fundraising campaign for one of his unfinished creative projects.
Launched on 5th September, Gemini Force One (or GF1 for short) is a series of books that follows the story of a secret organisation involved in rescues and averting disasters and terrorist events. While the initial aim is for GF1 is to publish the book series, the ultimate goal is to adapt the concept into a film or television.
Jamie Anderson has enlisted best-selling author MG Harris, who penned The Joshua Files to complete the first book in the way that his father would have wanted. She is a huge sci-fi buff and a lifelong Gerry Anderson fan. Of all the authors that Jamie spoke to about this project, she is the one who most understood what Gerry Anderson concepts were all about, and how to keep it as close to possible to the original idea.
The money needed to self-publish the book is being raised through the crowd funding platform Kickstarter. The money raised will be used to:
- Have a first run
- Fulfill backer rewards
- Pay MG Harris (The Anderson Estate’s author of choice) to complete the book
- Pay a cover designer
- Record an audio version
- Pay for marketing and advertising to make people aware of the book’s existence
Gerry began writing GF1 in 2008, but was unable to complete the first book due to rapidly worsening Alzheimer’s Disease, which stopped him working before his untimely death in 2012. MG Harris will be using his notes and audio recordings to complete the book in the way Gerry wanted.
The first GF1 book will be released to Kickstarter backers in April 2014, with a full launch in August 2014 – to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Anderson’s iconic Thunderbirds TV series, which entered production in August 1964.
Jamie also has a number of longer-term goals in mind, which will allow for things like translation of the book into other languages; vehicles to be designed by Andrew Probert (Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica) and Dominic Lavery (New Captain Scarlet, James Bond, Event Horizon); and the beginning of serious development towards a film or TV series.
Why is this project important?
Jamie believes strongly that there are many thousands of fans who will enjoy this fantastic new Anderson creation, and that a successful Kickstarter funding campaign will enable them to make GF1 a brilliant and fitting tribute to his father’s memory.
Already, amazing progress has been made!
At the time of writing there are:
- 202 backers
- £8,198 pledged of £24,350 goal
- 28 days to go!
You can make any kind of donation from as little as £1. Go on – play your part in realising one of Gerry’s unfinished projects!
You can find out more about the story and the characters and how to make a donation here: www.kickstarter.com /GF1
Following great success to raise funding with a Kickstarter campaign in 2013, Anderson Entertainment has announced a three-book deal for Gemini Force One with publisher Gollancz. Book one will be available to Kickstarter backers in 2014 before going on general release, with books two and three following over the next two years.