Topic: "Oblivion" with Tom Cruise: NASA, space history
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42981 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-02-2013 01:59 PM
In the feature film "Oblivion," opening on April 19, actor Tom Cruise plays former Marine commander Jack Harper, who is stationed on Earth and assigned to extract the planet's few remaining resources.
The sci-fi movie, which was written and directed by Joseph Kosinski ("TRON: Legacy"), was filmed in part at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana.
Without giving away any spoilers, as the cast list shows, NASA exists (or existed) in the film's version of reality, with several actors playing NASA flight controllers.
Last year, I was contacted by the filmmakers to see if I'd be available to come to the set and train Cruise to do something he will be seen doing in the film. In the end, they found someone else who is more directly connected with the activity, but it was neat to be approached just the same.
The film's Russian premiere was on Monday (April 1), where Cruise and cosmonaut Alexei Leonov were photographed together.
Photo credit: Reuters/Burnyashev
p51 Member
Posts: 1642 From: Olympia, WA Registered: Sep 2011
posted 04-02-2013 02:54 PM
Interesting, I had no idea they were including NASA in the fictional reality of the film. Often, producers will make up a space agency so they don't have to worry about NASA reactions.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42981 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-02-2013 03:19 PM
NASA's permission is needed to use the agency's name, insignia or other specific reference in films. Sometimes the request is made hand in hand with the desire to film on NASA property, as was done in "Oblivion."
GoesTo11 Member
Posts: 1309 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 2004
posted 04-02-2013 07:27 PM
Interesting! I'm actually pretty excited about what I've seen of "Oblivion." Like a lot of people, I'm ambivalent at best about Tom Cruise, but he's perfectly fine leading an action-driven flick in a role that doesn't require a lot of emoting.
Also, he's been a licensed pilot since '94 and owns and flies a P-51 Mustang. So there's that.
Atlantis Member
Posts: 111 From: Cullman, AL Registered: Dec 2007
posted 04-02-2013 09:42 PM
There's a NASA Meatball on the "escape pod" at 1:35.
bwhite1976 Member
Posts: 281 From: Belleville, IL Registered: Jun 2011
posted 04-03-2013 07:59 AM
Unless it gives away too much of the movie, I am curious as to what activity Tom Cruise needed specialized training for?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42981 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-03-2013 09:06 AM
That would be a spoiler.
cspg Member
Posts: 6210 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 04-03-2013 09:27 AM
quote:Originally posted by GoesTo11: ...but he's perfectly fine leading an action-driven flick in a role that doesn't require a lot of emoting.
Mark Wahlberg would beat him to that!
Some similar artistic similarities with Tron Legacy (the only worthy aspect of the movie along with "13").
spaceman Member
Posts: 1104 From: Walsall, West Midlands, UK Registered: Dec 2002
posted 04-23-2013 02:57 PM
Went to see the film on Sunday evening, stunning effects and great plot twists. Real escapism, enjoyed it a lot. Andrea Riseborough... nice.
How did Beech know the exact line that Jack read in the poem or that he even read the book? Go see the film and check it out. A wandering nose wound too... did you help out with that Robert? Or was it the weightless sequence? Or perhaps some space memorabilia found its way onto the set?
They wore patches but not enough detail.
p51 Member
Posts: 1642 From: Olympia, WA Registered: Sep 2011
posted 09-05-2013 11:02 AM
Okay, the movie is out on DVD and I finally saw it yesterday. Robert, I still have no clue what you trained Cruise to do. I noticed in the credits they had an astronaut listed as a 'shuttle consultant'.
So could you tell us now what you did for Cruise in the film?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42981 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 09-05-2013 11:12 AM
quote:Originally posted by p51: Robert, I still have no clue what you trained Cruise to do.
To be clear, I didn't train Cruise; as noted in my original post, "they found someone else who is more directly connected with the activity."
And as you saw in the credits, that person was astronaut Rick Searfoss, who showed Cruise how to "fly" the shuttle-like spacecraft seen in the movie.
The set director for the film was familiar with collectSPACE and knew of my time spent inside the real orbiters, and as such recommended me as someone familiar with the layout of the flight deck.
p51 Member
Posts: 1642 From: Olympia, WA Registered: Sep 2011
posted 09-05-2013 12:07 PM
Sorry, I hadn't gone back and read your post on the specifics.
posted 04-02-2013 01:59 PM
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