Matt Damon is Looking For a Way Outta Here in New ‘The Martian’ Trailer
In Christopher Nolan’s 2014 sci-fi drama, Interstellar, Matt Damon played an astronaut marooned on a distant world many millions of light years away from home. This fall, the Oscar-nominated actor will once again be stranded on an alien planet in the new space thriller The Martian (in theaters Oct. 2.) But at least this time, it’s located in the good ol’ Milky Way galaxy.
Directed by Ridley Scott and based on the best-selling book by Andy Weir, The Martian casts Damon as astronaut/botanist Mark Watney, who’s part of a high-profile mission to Mars and who gets left behind on the surface of the Red Planet when a storm drives the rest of his crew back to their ship. Staring down the barrel of a four-year stint before a rescue mission can arrive, Mark has to create sustainable sources of food and water, while also looking for a way to communicate with his bosses in NASA’s Mission Control. Considering that to-do list, is it any wonder that he’s heard boasting, “In your face, Neil Armstrong!” during this clip?
That line is indicative of Mark’s grace and good humor under pressure, qualities that immediately endeared the novel’s character to millions of readers. And the trailer is filled with funny moments that balance out the severity of his situation, including a scene where Watney reveals his big idea for how he’s going to extend his 50-day food supply: “I’m going to have to science the s— out of this.” While he’s busy cracking wise on Mars, his team in space (which includes Damon’s Interstellar co-star Jessica Chastain, Ant-Man’s Michael Peña, and Fantastic Four’s Kate Mara) and the NASA ground crew (Jeff Daniels and Chiwetel Ejiofor among them) work to figure out a way to bring him home ahead of schedule. Something tells us that it will probably be a lot more complicated than pushing books off of shelves.
