The film chronicles the experience of astronaut Mark Watney (Damon) after he is presumed dead by his fellow crew members and left on the surface of Mars. Watney must use his scientific knowledge and technical know-how to figure out a way to survive on the planet and signal both his crew and the mission team at NASA. With supplies dwindling, his survival instinct is all that stands between him and a dire fate millions of miles from home.
Weir’s novel, also entitled The Martian, served as the inspiration for the film, and was regarded as one of the best sci-fi stories of the year when it hit shelves in 2011.
Along with Damon, the film stars Jessica Chastain (Interstellar, Zero Dark Thirty), Kristen Wiig (Welcome to Me, The Skeleton Twins), Kate Mara (House of Cards), Michael Pena (Fury, End of Watch), Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom, Dumb and Dumber To), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, Children of Men), and Donald Glover (Community, Mystery Team).
Back in December 2014, the title page of the script for the film — penned by Drew Goddard (World War Z, The Cabin in the Woods) — was sent into space aboard the maiden voyage of NASA’s Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, a capsule intended to enable a four-person crew to carry out missions to Mars. The page featured a sketch by Scott depicting Watney as he vowed to “science the shit out of this planet.”
The Martian hits theaters November 25.
You can watch a promo video featuring Damon (as Watney) introducing his fellow crew members below:
