Drive provided movie fans with a lot to gush about. The slick direction by Nicolas Winding Refn. The amazing performances by Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, and Albert Brooks. The unforgettable moments of sudden, shocking violence. That freakin' soundtrack. One details that many movie fans might not have noticed, however, is that Drive was based on a book of the same name by crime-fiction writer James Sallis. If that has you headed straight to Amazon, hold up a second: you'll also be interested to hear that there's a sequel to the novel coming out this April.

That news comes from Litreactor.com, who heard about the sequel straight from Sallis himself. The original Drive novel was published back in 2005, and earned critical acclaim as a cracking good neo-noir. The sequel, following the Die Hard philosophy of titling, will be entitled Driven. Sallis wouldn't provide any plot details, but Litreactor contacted the book's publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, and had better luck. Well, 15 words' worth of better luck, anyway. Here's the short synopsis they provided: "Six years later -- Phoenix. Out of nowhere someone wants Driver dead. Who? Why? Big mistake..."

They also provided an early draft of the cover art. Check it out:



Drive has taken in $45.1 million worldwide, on a budget of $15 million, so I'm sure all involved would love to revisit Driver and his world. While any potential movie sequel is a ways down the pike, don't be surprised at all if you hear of the film rights to Driven being snatched up sometime in the next few months. Stay tuned to Cinema Blend...