After Earth
Short description
After Earth is set a thousand years after humanity was forced to leave the planet behind and settle on Nova Prime. General Cypher Raige, a celebrated military figure, comes home from a long deployment hoping to reconnect with his son Kitai. Their ship is damaged in an asteroid storm and goes down on the abandoned Earth, a place the boy knows only from stories. With his father badly hurt and unable to move, Kitai sets out across unfamiliar and dangerous country to reach the rescue beacon and save them both.
M. Night Shyamalan directed the film, the eighth of the fifteen features he has directed, following The Last Airbender and preceding The Visit. He wrote the screenplay with Gary Whitta, and the film was produced by Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and James Lassiter. Will Smith plays Cypher opposite his own son Jaden Smith as Kitai; Sophie Okonedo, Zoë Kravitz, Glenn Morshower and Kristofer Hivju also appear.
Released in 2013, the film runs 100 minutes and is an American production from Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures, Overbrook Entertainment and Blinding Edge Pictures. Made for around 130 million dollars, it took in roughly 244 million dollars worldwide, a modest return against its cost. Audiences were unenthusiastic: it holds 4.8 out of 10 on IMDb from some 216,000 votes and 5.2 out of 10 on TMDB. A critics' rating of 4 out of 10 from 210 reviews puts it in line with that reaction rather than apart from it.
What's left behind the scenes
- The initial screenplay was written by Gary Whitta based on an idea from Will Smith. During pre-production, director M. Night Shyamalan made several drafts of the script simply to familiarize himself with the material before handing it over to Steven Geigan, who was the main screenwriter during production. Mark Boal, who worked on films such as 'The Hurt Locker' (2008) and 'Zero Dark Thirty' (2012), also contributed to the screenplay.
- At the 35-minute mark, when the General is talking to his daughter, the soldiers in the background do not move.
- Harper Collins and Insight Editions released two books specifically for the film's promotion – “After Earth: United Ranger Corps Survival Manual” and “After Earth: Kitai's Journal.
- A series of spin-off novels subtitled 'Ghost Stories' was planned not only as promotion for the film but also to flesh out certain plot points. The titles of these books are: 'Innocence,' 'Peace,' 'Hunted,' and 'A Perfect Beast.' All the books were written by Peter David, along with Michael Jan Friedman and Robert Greenberger, with illustrations by Benito Lobel.
- The first film by M. Night Shyamalan that the director did not write himself.
- The original idea for the film was about a father and son who went on a hike. After their car goes off the road, the son has to travel a long way through the forest to get help for his father. Recognizing the idea had great potential, producer Will Smith and screenwriter Gary Whitta decided to move the core survival concepts into a more science fiction project.
- When the film's protagonist is floating on a raft and is awakened by his sister, it's visible that the raft is bound not with lianas, but with rope.
- This is the second time Will Smith and Jaden Smith, real-life father and son, have played father and son on screen. The first time was in 'The Pursuit of Happyness' (2006).
- Although not credited, Will Smith was actively involved in directing the film. M. Night Shyamalan was primarily responsible for composition and camera placement, as well as visual aspects (color and design). Will Smith personally oversaw Jaden Smith's performance, dictated the story's development, and how it would unfold on screen.
- Will Smith had wanted to work with director M. Night Shyamalan for several years, but there wasn't a suitable project. Smith personally hired Shyamalan as the director for this film.
- The first film shot on a Sony F65 digital camera, and also M. Night Shyamalan's first digital film.
- A 300-page bible detailing the history of humanity from the decision to leave Earth to the events depicted in the film was prepared by comic book writer Peter David, along with Michael Jan Friedman and Robert Greenberger. This book served as a source for all kinds of supplementary materials.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
