CS Video: Matt Damon Takes You Inside The Martian Movie

Matt Damon joins director Ridley Scott, astronaut Drew Feustel, NASA Director Jim Green, and author Andy Weir for a look inside The Martian movie

This morning, 20th Century Fox released the new trailer for director Ridley Scott’s The Martian movie, opening in theaters October 2. To celebrate the trailer’s debut, ComingSoon.net was invited to participate in a special behind-the-scenes look at the film, including a tour of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. In addition to screening the first 50 minutes of the film, Scott and leading man Matt Damon joined NASA astronaut Mark Feustel, NASA Planetary Science Division Director Jim Green and The Martian author Andy Weir for a behind-the-scenes Q&A.

While we’ll have more in-depth coverage on the way soon, you can now check out the Q&A highlights in the player below. What’s more, the video concludes with footage from a ceremonial hand print ceremony Matt Damon took part in at the JPL’s “Mars Yard,” a special outdoor area of the facilities designed to mimic the terrain of the red planet. You can also check out quite a few images from the event in the gallery viewer at the bottom of this page.

In the film, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead and left behind by his crew while on a manned mission to Mars. 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.

Based on a best-selling novel, The Martian movie features a star-studded cast that also includes Jessica Chastain (Interstellar, Zero Dark Thirty), Kristen Wiig (Welcome to Me, The Skeleton Twins), Kate Mara (“House of Cards,” Fantastic Four), 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).

The Martian movie is produced by Ridley Scott, Simon Kinberg, Michael Schaefer, Mark Huffam and Aditya Sood.

(Photo Credit: NASA / Bill Ingalls)