MICHAEL DOUGLAS MEMOIR COMING FROM GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING IN FALL 2026
New York, NY (February 11, 2026) — Grand Central Publishing (GCP), a division of the Hachette Book Group, is honored to announce the forthcoming publication of the long-awaited memoir by two-time Academy Award-winning actor and producer Michael Douglas. The book, currently untitled, is scheduled for publication on October 6, 2026, in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook editions. Colin Dickerman, Senior Vice President and Editor-in-Chief at GCP acquired World Rights from Shane Salerno of The Story Factory. Headline will publish simultaneously in the UK. Michael Fleming is collaborating with Douglas on the book.
Michael Douglas is a legendary actor and Hollywood Icon whose five-decade career spans film, television, and producing. He has won two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, five Golden Globes, a Primetime Emmy, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the AFI Life Achievement Award, among many others.
He starred in and produced some of the most successful movies of all time, including One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Romancing the Stone, The China Syndrome, Fatal Attraction, Black Rain, Wall Street, Basic Instinct, Disclosure, The Game, Wonder Boys, Traffic, and Behind the Candelabra. His iconic movies have defined cultural moments and sometimes whole decades.
Beyond his artistic achievements, Douglas is a dedicated philanthropist and activist championing peace, democracy, gun control, and nuclear disarmament. His advocacy led to his 1998 appointment by United Nation’s Secretary-General Kofi Annan as a Messenger of Peace.
For the first time, Douglas is ready to tell the unfiltered story of his life in a raw, career-sweeping memoir that traces his journey from his father, Kirk Douglas’ shadow to his own stardom, revealing his personal challenges, including addiction that threatened his marriage and career, love affairs, as well as his son’s devastating drug addiction and prison sentence. He also shares his triumphs: his victorious fight against stage-four cancer and his enduring twenty-five-year marriage to Catherine Zeta-Jones, which has proved skeptics wrong and become one of Hollywood’s most enduring love stories.
Douglas said:
“After being asked for many years, I’ve finally decided it’s time to tell my story on my own terms. Not the highlight reel, not the version shaped by headlines or box office numbers, but the real one. I’ve lived a life that unfolded in public while being deeply private at the same time, and there’s a difference. This is about where I came from, what I fought against, and what I chose for myself. Fame can blur the truth; this is my attempt to bring it back into focus.”
Dickerman said, “Growing up in the shadow of a Hollywood legend, navigating a risk-taking career that has spanned six decades and included films that defined our culture, privately fighting health and family battles while in the glare of the spotlight—Douglas’ life is a towering achievement in perseverance. That he has chosen to tell his story with such honesty and intimacy is a gift to his fans as well as everyone who wants a front row seat to Hollywood’s most turbulent and thrilling years.”
About Grand Central Publishing:
Grand Central Publishing reaches a diverse audience through books that cater to every kind of reader. Its imprints are Balance, Cardinal, Da Capo, Forever, Grand Central, and Legacy Lit. Grand Central Publishing is one of three divisions of the Grand Central Publishing Group, which also includes Hachette Nashville and Union Square & Co.
About Hachette Book Group
Hachette Book Group (HBG) is a leading US general-interest book publisher made up of dozens of esteemed imprints within the publishing groups Basic Books Group; Grand Central Publishing Group; Hachette Audio; Little, Brown and Company; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Orbit; Workman Publishing; and Running Press Group. We also provide custom distribution, fulfillment, and sales services to other publishing companies.
Our books and authors have received the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal, Booker Prize, Nobel Peace Prize, and other major honors.
We are committed to diversity in our company and our publishing programs, and to fostering a culture of inclusion for all our employees and authors. We are proud to be part of Hachette Livre, the world’s third-largest trade and educational publisher.
Visit hachettebookgroup.com to learn more about HBG imprints. For updated news follow HBG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, X.com, Pinterest, and YouTube.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jimmy Franco, Senior Director of Publicity
646-241-3776, jimmy.franco@hbgusa.com