Much like Gravity and Interstellar in the years before, 20th Century Fox and Ridley Scott’s big-budget adaptation of The Martian is on course to be the marquee sci-fi release of 2015’s fall season – and boy, the studio wants to drive that point home.
The latest array of promotional material comes in the form of a trio of clips for the film, charting both NASA’s strategy to save Matt Damon’s wayward astronaut and the trials and tribulations his botanist (Mark Watney) faces when marooned on the Red Planet millions of miles from home.
In keeping with the spirit of Andy Weir’s eponymous, best-selling novel, Damon’s lead character isn’t one to crawl into the foetal position and contemplate the fragility of life while on Mars; instead, his cocksure personality almost laughs in the face of mortality, and the bizarre nature of his own situation. That’s not to say that The Martian will switch gears into a comedic romp once Ares 3 leaves the character stranded on the Red Planet, but expect Damon’s astronaut to make the best out of his extraordinary situation as he attempts to grow food on the arid martian terrain.
Sir Ridders has assembled quite the star-studded cast for the picture, too, with Damon being joined by Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sean Bean, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Donald Glover, Mackenzie Davis, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Ares 3 will set off on their interplanetary mission when Ridley Scott’s The Martian opens in theaters in time for October 2. But could Scott’s latest genre piece pull off that feat that both Gravity and Interstellar missed out on and nab the Best Picture Oscar gong? Time will tell.
During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian” home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney’s safe return.