Adrian
Renowned author WILLIAM R. FORSTCHEN‘s bestselling novel *One Second After*, which explores the catastrophic consequences of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack on the United States, is being adapted into a feature film. The screenplay will be penned by acclaimed sci-fi writer J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI, with Forstchen serving as an executive producer. The project is a collaboration between MPI Original Films and Startling Inc., with filming set to begin in Bulgaria this September under the direction of SCOTT ROGERS.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Forstchen shared the real-world inspiration behind his novel, emphasizing that an EMP attack is not merely science fiction but a genuine threat. “I wanted to write an accurate, very accurate story of what would happen in a small town in North Carolina if the power went off and never came back on,” he explained.
Forstchen’s journey to writing *One Second After* began during his Ph.D. studies at Purdue University. However, it was a moment of clarity at his graduation that solidified his vision. “I call it a ‘God moment.’ I was sitting there, sweating in my robes, looking at the students and parents, and it just hit me – write about us, write about my town,” he recalled. This epiphany led him back to his hometown near Asheville, North Carolina, where he conducted extensive interviews with local figures, including the police chief and pharmacist, to craft a realistic narrative.
The pharmacist’s emotional reaction to the potential aftermath of an EMP strike left a lasting impression on Forstchen. “She started writing down this long list of people who would be dead in two to three months,” he said. These insights, combined with extensive research, culminated in the 2009 publication of *One Second After*, which remains a bestseller.
The novel’s adaptation comes at a time when the threat of an EMP attack is increasingly relevant. Forstchen explained that an EMP is generated when a nuclear weapon is detonated in space, creating an electrostatic discharge that overloads the power grid. “EMP is generated when a small nuclear weapon, 40 to 60 kilotons or about three times the size of a Hiroshima bomb, is detonated 200 miles out in space above the United States,” he said. “It sets up an electrostatic discharge, which cascades to the Earth’s surface, feeds into the millions of miles of wires which become antennas, feeds this into the power grid, overloads the grid, and blows it out.”
Citing Congressional reports from 2002 and 2008, Forstchen warned that 80% to 90% of Americans could perish within a year of such an attack. The late PETER PRY, a nuclear weapons expert and former staff director at the Congressional EMP Commission, echoed this concern. Before his death in 2022, Pry highlighted North Korea’s high-altitude ballistic missile tests as a potential precursor to an EMP strike. “Cars would be paralyzed. Airplanes could fall out of the sky. You’d have natural gas pipeline explosions, nuclear reactor overloads,” Pry told Fox Business in 2017. “And worst of all, if you had a protracted blackout, it would be a serious threat to the survival of the American people.”
The film adaptation of *One Second After* aims to bring this urgent warning to a broader audience, blending compelling storytelling with a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities of modern society.
**Sources:**
[Fox News Digital](https://www.foxnews.com)
[Fox Business](https://www.foxbusiness.com)
