Howey's Unexpected Movie Pick Connects to His Silo Worldview
Hugh Howey is best known for writing the "Silo" novels, the source material behind the Apple TV show that takes place inside a massive underground shelter. The bunker holds about 10,000 residents spread across 144 floors, and none of them recall the disaster that pushed humanity below the surface. Howey kicked off the series in 2012 with "Wool," a collection of short fiction and novellas. He followed it with "Shift" and "Dust" in 2013. Beyond "Silo," he has built a wide catalog of sci-fi and fantasy work, including "Beacon 23," "I, Zombie," "The Shell Collector," and the "Molly Fyde" YA novels. He has also published nonfiction about exploration and navigation.
Outside of books, Howey runs a personal blog where he shares thoughts on everything from AI risks to the progress of the "Silo" adaptation. In one recent post, he surprised readers by naming his all-time favorite film: the 1990 version of "Cyrano de Bergerac," directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau and starring Gérard Depardieu. A sci-fi writer picking a 17th-century French romance feels unusual. The film adapts Edmond Rostand's 1897 play, which centers on Cyrano, a brilliant wordsmith with a famously large nose. He helps a less articulate man named Christian win the heart of a woman named Roxane by feeding him poetry and lines. Cyrano also loves Roxane himself, creating a tangled love triangle built on deception.
Howey explained why the story hits him so hard. He pointed out that Cyrano pours out his heart through Christian, Christian gets the romance he wants, Roxane falls for words she thinks are his, and Cyrano finally gets to express himself. Yet nobody ends up truly happy because every relationship runs on lies. The audience sees through it all, which makes the emotional ache sharper.
Roxane actually loves Cyrano too, but she gets distracted by Christian's looks. The trickery keeps everyone at a distance. Howey ties this back to his own sense of self, saying he has always identified with Cyrano and felt his pain in every version of the story. He connected it to how he learned to express affection from afar, shaping how he shows care even today. For him, the film captures the cost of hiding who you really are.
"Cyrano de Bergerac" has been adapted many times. Michael Gordon directed a 1950 version with José Ferrer, and Joe Wright released a musical take in 2022. Modern spins like "Roxanne" and "The Half of It" have reimagined the core idea. Still, Howey points new viewers to the 1990 Depardieu version, especially for its romantic finale, which he calls unforgettable. He also recently revealed plans for "Wool 2," promising to revisit Silo with fresh details and an ending that should please longtime fans of the series.