The title page from the Alien director’s next film hitched a ride aboard the maiden voyage of NASA’s Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, a capsule that’s intended to enable a four-person crew to carry out missions to Mars, during a December 5 test flight 5,600 miles above Earth’s surface. The title page features a sketch by Scott of main character Mark Watney (played by Matt Damon in the film) on the surface of Mars, stating, “I’m going to science the shit out of this planet.””NASA really rolled out the red carpet for us,” explains The Martian executive producer Aditya Sood. “In the capsule they had some personal objects that were important to people involved in the Orion project and one of the things was Ridley’s drawing on the cover page of The Martian script. This is a movie about people who are really passionate about science and space-travel, so that was a really great moment for us.”
Based on Andy Weir’s 2012 novel of the same name, The Martian casts Damon as an astronaut who’s abandoned on the surface of Mars and must use his ingenuity and stubborn perseverance to survive on the planet’s surface. Along with Damon, the film features Jeff Daniels, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, and Chiwetel Ejiofor in supporting roles.
The Martian is scheduled to hit theaters November 25, 2015.
