Peter Chelsom’s romantic sci-fi The Space Between Us may be rooted in the same galactic neighborhood as The Martian – not lest because of its story revolving around a human marooned on the Red Planet – but as today’s first trailer attests, the Asa Butterfield-led flick opens up a decidedly different tale of one outsider trying to assimilate into the norm.
Buoyed by Gary Oldman’s pioneering CEO, channeling Elon Musk and his aerospace company SpaceX, The Space Between Us begins with humanity pushing to colonize Mars, sending off a handful of astronauts to maintain and grow a space base on our neighbouring planet.
But an unexpected pregnancy not only jeopardizes the mission, but it also introduces Asa Butterfield as the first human to be born on the Red Planet – a true Martian, if you will – seeding a story that explores existential themes of where Asa’s Gardner Elliot belongs in the solar system, as his brittle bones and heart won’t be able to withstand Earth’s atmosphere.
The Space Between Us enters into Earth’s orbit on August 19. Carla Gugino and Britt Robertson round out the ensemble.
In this interplanetary adventure, a space shuttle embarks on the first mission to colonize Mars, only to discover after takeoff that one of the astronauts is pregnant. Shortly after landing, she dies from complications while giving birth to the first human born on the red planet – never revealing who the father is. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Gardner Elliot – an inquisitive, highly intelligent boy who reaches the age of 16 having only met 14 people in his very unconventional upbringing.
While searching for clues about his father, and the home planet he’s never known, Gardner begins an online friendship with a street smart girl in Colorado named Tulsa. When he finally gets a chance to go to Earth, he’s eager to experience all of the wonders he could only read about on Mars – from the most simple to the extraordinary. But once his explorations begin, scientists discover that Gardner’s organs can’t withstand Earth’s atmosphere.
Eager to find his father, Gardner escapes the team of scientists and joins with Tulsa on a race against time to unravel the mysteries of how he came to be, and where he belongs in the universe.