It might seem odd for Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain to star in almost back-to-back sci-fi films that are kind of similar — Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” and Ridley Scott’s “The Martian” — but evidently the resemblances weren’t enough to scare off either actor, or the prospects of working with these directors and their great casts were too good to pass up.
Written by Drew Goddard (“Daredevil,” “The Cabin In The Woods”) as a project he was originally going to direct, “The Martian” centers on an astronaut (Damon) who has just become one of the first people to walk on Mars. But after a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking he’s dead, he finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive. Even if he can get word out, his supplies will be gone long before a rescue could arrive, but the astronaut isn’t ready to give up yet (see the “Interstellar” similarities?)
READ MORE: Ridley Scott’s Matt Damon-Starring ‘The Martian’ Moved Up
Meanwhile, a first look at Damon in the film has surfaced via Spanish site Entradanumerada.com (it’s reportedly a scan from Empire Magazine that just hit newstands). "Star Wars" fans will note the color scheme that doesn’t look entirely dissimilar to the rebel pilot outfits, but that’s probably just a coincidence or small homage.
Co-starring an all-star cast that includes Kate Mara, Michael Peña, Kristen Wiig, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jeff Daniels, “Halt and Catch Fire” star Mackenzie Davis, Sean Bean, Donald Glover, and Naomi Scott, “The Martian” lands in theaters on November 25th. Check out the full size first look below. Update: the photos are from Empire who have released a few more.