Life (2017 film)
A space crew discovers a deadly Martian organism.
Life is a 2017 American science fiction horror film directed by Daniel Espinosa, written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, and starring an ensemble cast including Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ariyon Bakare, and Olga Dihovichnaya. The film follows a six-member crew of the International Space Station who discover the first evidence of extraterrestrial life on Mars, only to find the rapidly evolving organism is far more intelligent and dangerous than anticipated.
- release_year
- 2017
- director
- Daniel Espinosa
- writers
- Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
- genre
- Science fiction horror
- budget
- $58 million
- box_office
- $100 million worldwide
- production_companies
- Skydance Media, Sony Pictures
Quick Facts
- Director
- Daniel Espinosa
- Producer
- David Ellison / Dana Goldberg / Bonnie Curtis / Julie Lynn
- Writer
- Rhett Reese / Paul Wernick
- Starring
- Jake Gyllenhaal / Rebecca Ferguson / Ryan Reynolds / Hiroyuki Sanada / Ariyon Bakare / Olga Dihovichnaya
- Music
- Jon Ekstrand
- Cinematography
- Seamus McGarvey
- Editing
- Frances Parker / Mary Jo Markey
- Studio
- Columbia Pictures / Skydance
- Distributor
- Sony Pictures Releasing
- Released
- 2017 · 3 · 18 · SXSW · 2017 · 3 · 24 · United States
- Runtime
- 104 minutes
- Country
- United States
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Development of Life began in November 2015 when Daniel Espinosa was announced to direct a space-set film written by Wernick and Reese. After Paramount Pictures did not confirm a distribution deal, Sony Pictures signed on in March 2016 to handle worldwide distribution and co-finance with Skydance. Casting took place from January to July 2016, with filming occurring in France, New York City, and Vietnam between February and July 2016. Principal photography began at London's Shepperton Studios on July 19, 2016, using wires to simulate zero gravity. Visual effects were handled by DNEG, Industrial Light & Magic, NVIZIBLE, One of Us, Outpost VFX, and Atomic Fiction.
Reader's Guide
Life premiered at South by Southwest on March 18, 2017, and was theatrically released in the United States by Sony Pictures Releasing on March 24, 2017. It received positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and mixed reviews on Metacritic, grossing $100 million worldwide against a $58 million budget. The film's plot involves a Martian organism named Calvin that becomes hostile and kills crew members, culminating in a downer ending where the creature reaches Earth. Director Espinosa described the film as an inverse of Gravity, focusing on claustrophobia, and compared Ryan Reynolds' character death to Janet Leigh's in Psycho. The score by Jon Ekstrand aimed for an atonal-horror sound with melodic elements, influenced by Bernard Herrmann and Khachaturian.
Did You Know?
- One scene in the trailer for Life uses a recycled shot from the 2007 film Spider-Man 3.
- The film's release date was moved from May 26, 2017 to March 24, 2017 to avoid competition with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Alien: Covenant.
- The opening eight-minute long take was created by Double Negative using an ISS model sculpted by Industrial Light & Magic.
- Composer Jon Ekstrand wrote his sixth score for director Daniel Espinosa, seeking a sound reminiscent of Bernard Herrmann.
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