THE MARTIAN
Written by
Drew Goddard
Based on the novel by Andy Weir
Shooting Script
EXT. SPACE - MARS - TO ESTABLISH
THE RED PLANET momentarily eclipses the Sun. As sunlight
breaks across the edge, warming the surface...
EXT. MARS - DAY
We're MOVING THROUGH the channels of Acidalia Planitia to
find the ARES 3 HAB SITE.
LEWIS (OVER RADIO)
All right, team. Stay in sight of each
other. Let's make NASA proud...
TITLE: SOL 18
EXT. MARS - DAY
CLOSE ON ASTRONAUT MARK WATNEY. He's in the middle of an EVA
experiment. He chips at a section of rocks and records his
observations on his ARM COMPUTER.
Bright-eyed and optimistic. Another day at the office.
MARK
In grid section fourteen twenty-eight,
the particles appear predominantly
"coarse," but as we move to twenty-nine,
the particles are much finer, and should
be ideal for chem analysis.
VOICE (OVER RADIO)
Hear that, everyone?
And we FIND RICK MARTINEZ inspecting the MARS ASCENT VEHICLE
(a.k.a "The MAV") on the launch pad. They speak over radios.
MARTINEZ
Mark just discovered "dirt." Alert the
media.
MARK
What's your job today, Martinez?
Confirming the MAV is still upright?
MARTINEZ
Visual inspection of equipment is
imperative to mission success.
Martinez studies the MAV for a moment, then speaks
thoughtfully into his arm computer:
MARTINEZ (CONT'D)
"The MAV is still upright."
(CONTINUED)
2.
CONTINUED:
VOICE (RADIO)
Watney, you keep leaving your channel
open...
FIND COMMANDER MELISSA LEWIS across the way, overseeing a
drill experiment.
LEWIS
Which leads to Martinez responding, which
leads to us listening, which leads to me
being annoyed.
MARK
Martinez, Commander Lewis would like you
please shut your smart mouth.
VOICE
Speaking for the smart people of the
world...
INT. HAB - DAY
DR. CHRIS BECK studies samples on slides at his station.
BECK
We would prefer you use a different
adjective to describe Martinez' mouth.
EXT. MARS - DAY
MARTINEZ
Did Beck just insult me?
MARK
Doctor Beck. And yes.
VOICE
Happy to turn their radios off from here,
Commander...
INT. HAB - DAY
BETH JOHANSSEN sits inside at her computer, tracking (among
other things) the group's communications.
JOHANSSEN
Just say the word.
EXT. MARS - DAY
MARK
Johanssen, constant communication is the
hallmark of a --
(CONTINUED)
3.
CONTINUED:
LEWIS
Shut `em off.
Click. Mark and Martinez' radios go SILENT.
As Lewis works, we see Mark throwing up his arms in the
background, like "Hey! C'mon!"
LEWIS (CONT'D)
I apologize for my countrymen, Vogel.
ALEX VOGEL wears the EUROPEAN UNION patch on his shoulder.
ALEX
Accepted. How many samples do we need,
Commander?
LEWIS
Seven. One hundred grams each. Drill at
least thirty centimeters down.
While the two of them use a SPECIMEN DRILL to bore holes in
the ground, we see Mark waving his arms in the background:
C'mon, turn my radio back on...
INT. HAB - DAY
Johanssen frowns as she receives a MISSION UPDATE from
Houston. Her face goes PALE...
JOHANSSEN
Um... Commander? You should come
inside...
EXT. HAB - DAY
JOHANSSEN (OVER RADIO)
You're gonna want to see this.
Lewis reads the tension in Johanssen's voice.
LEWIS
What is it?
JOHANSSEN
We got a mission update. Storm warning.
LEWIS
I saw the warning in the morning
briefing. We'll be inside long before it
hits.
(CONTINUED)
4.
CONTINUED:
JOHANSSEN
They've upgraded their estimate.
(BEAT)
The storm's gonna be worse.
LEWIS looks to the skies. IN THE DISTANCE: a STORM darkens
the horizon.
Angle MARK: as the dirt in front of him starts to blow in the
incoming WIND...
INT. HAB - DAY
Lewis reads the update. Everyone else is inside as well.
Mood is grim -- this is not good news.
LEWIS
"...twelve-hundred kilometers in
diameter, bearing 24.41 degrees..."
JOHANSSEN
That's tracking right towards us.
LEWIS
"...based on current escalation, estimate
a force of...
(SHIT)
"Eighty-six hundred Newtons."
MARK
What's the Abort Force?
BECK
Seventy-five hundred.
MARTINEZ
Anything above that and the MAV could
tip.
VOGEL
We're scrubbed?
LEWIS
(READING)
"Begin abort procedures."
Everyone tries to hide their crushing disappointment.
MARTINEZ
Maybe it won't be as bad as they say.
VOGEL
They're estimating with a margin of
error. We can wait it out.
(CONTINUED)
5.
CONTINUED:
MARK
(NODS)
Let's wait it out.
ON LEWIS. This news hits her worst of all. She tries to
consider all her options. Mind RACING.
JOHANSSEN
Commander?
Fuck.
LEWIS
Prep for emergency departure.
MARK
COMMANDER --
LEWIS
We're scrubbed.
EXT. HAB - STORM - DAY
The HIGH WINDS slam into our five astronauts as they exit the
airlock. They struggle to stay on their feet as they fight
their way through the punishing storm.
LEWIS
Visibility is almost zero. If you get
lost, home in on my suit's telemetry.
The wind's gonna be rougher away from the
Hab, so be ready.
Sand continues to slam them as they take step after agonizing
step towards the MAV. It's brutal; they fight for every inch.
MARK
Hey. Maybe we could shore up the MAV.
Make tipping less likely.
LEWIS
How?
MARK
We could use cables from the solar farm
as guy lines.
Mark pauses to catch his breath. Starts forward again...
MARK (CONT'D)
The rovers could be anchors. The trick
would be getting around the--
(CONTINUED)
6.
CONTINUED:
WHAM! A massive section of antenna SLAMS INTO MARK out of
nowhere. He's lifted off his feet and YANKED away into the
storm. It happens FAST. One second he's there...
And then he's gone.
JOHANSSEN
WATNEY!!!
LEWIS
What happened?
JOHANSSEN
Something hit him --
LEWIS
Watney, report --
(NO REPLY)
WATNEY, REPORT!
JOHANSSEN BECK
He's offline. I don't know -- Commander, before we lost
where he is -- telemetry, his decompression
alarm went off --
LEWIS JOHANSSEN
Shit! Johanssen where did -- He was right in front of
you last see him? me and then he was gone. He
flew off due west --
Lewis surveys the scene. Visibility is NEAR ZERO. She can
barely see the people next to her. Tries to keep her heart
from POUNDING out of her chest.
LEWIS (CONT'D)
Okay... okay... Martinez, get to the MAV
and prep for launch. Everyone else, home
in on Johanssen.
JOHANSSEN
(STUMBLING)
I can't see anything --
VOGEL
Doctor Beck! How long can a person
survive decompression?
BECK
Less than minute.
LEWIS
Line up and walk west. Small steps.
He's probably prone. We don't want to
step over him.
(CONTINUED)
7.
CONTINUED: (2)
The group fights through the chaos --
INT. MAV - CONTINUOUS - DAY
WHOOSH! Martinez dives into the airlock, forces the door
closed. Waits for agonizing seconds as it pressurizes...
Pressurized. Martinez races up the ladder, slides into the
pilot's couch and boots the system.
MARTINEZ
Commander -- The MAV's got an 8 degree
tilt. It'll tip at 12.3 --
EXT. HAB - STORM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
LEWIS
Copy that --
Beck checks the readout on his arm computer.
BECK
Johanssen, Watney's bio-monitor sent
something before going offline. My
computer just says "Bad Packet" --
JOHANSSEN
It didn't finish transmitting.
(works her arm computer)
I have the raw packet. It's plaintext:
BP 0, PR 0, TP 36.2.
BECK
Copy.
(THEN)
Blood pressure zero. Pulse rate zero.
Temperature normal.
LEWIS
Temperature normal?
BECK
It takes a while for the... it takes a
while for the body to cool.
Everyone stops short as that news lands.
MARTINEZ (OVER RADIO)
Commander. Tilting at 10.5 degrees now,
with gusts pushing it to 11.
LEWIS
Copy. If it tips, can you launch before
it completely falls over?
(CONTINUED)
8.
CONTINUED:
MARTINEZ (OVER RADIO)
(HESITATES)
Uh. Yes. Ma'am. I could take manual
control.
LEWIS
Copy that. Everyone home in on Martinez'
suit. That'll get you to the airlock.
Get in and prep for launch.
VOGEL
What about you, Commander?
LEWIS
I'm searching a little more. Get moving.
And Martinez, if you start to top,
launch.
MARTINEZ (OVER RADIO)
You really think I'm leaving you behind?
LEWIS
I just ordered you to. You three, get to
the ship.
(as they hesitate)
GO.
INT. MAV - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Vogel, Beck, and Johanssen stumble into the airlock.
EXT. STORM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Lewis can't see a thing in any direction. C'mon, think,
Melissa, think...
She reaches into the pack on her back and removes two of the
one meter drill bits she was using earlier to take samples.
She holds one in each hand, dragging them on the ground as
she trudges through the sand.
LEWIS
Johanssen, would the rover IR camera do
any good?
INT. MAV - CONTINUOUS - DAY
JOHANSSEN (INTO RADIO)
Negative. IR can't get through sand any
better than visible light.
They rip off their helmets. Scramble up the ladder.
(CONTINUED)
9.
CONTINUED:
BECK
What's she thinking? She's a geologist.
She knows IR can't get through a
sandstorm.
VOGEL
She's grasping. For anything.
MARTINEZ
Commander. We're tilting 11.6 degrees.
One good gust and we're tipping.
LEWIS (OVER RADIO)
What about the proximity radar? Could it
detect Watney's suit?
MARTINEZ
No way. It's made to see Hermes in
orbit, not the metal in a single suit.
LEWIS (OVER RADIO)
Copy. Give it a try.
Beck slides into his acceleration couch.
BECK
Commander, I know you don't want to hear
this, but Watn... Mark's dead.
LEWIS (OVER RADIO)
Copy.
(THEN)
Martinez, try the radar.
MARTINEZ
Roger.
As Martinez waits for the radar, he glares at Beck.
MARTINEZ (CONT'D)
What is wrong with you?
BECK
My friend just died. I don't want my
Commander to die too.
EXT. STORM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Lewis fights her way through the storm.
MARTINEZ (OVER RADIO)
Negative contact on proximity radar.
(CONTINUED)
10.
CONTINUED:
LEWIS
Nothing?
INT. MAV - CONTINUOUS - DAY
MARTINEZ
It can barely see the Hab. There's not
ENOUGH MET--
SCREEEACH -- the MAV lurches, begins to tip --
MARTINEZ (CONT'D)
Strap in! We're tipping!
JOHANSSEN VOGEL
13 degrees -- -- We're past balance. We'll
never rock back --
BECK
Let it tip. We can't leave her.
MARTINEZ
We'll never be able to fix it if it tips.
I got one trick left, then I'm following
orders.
EXT. MAV - CONTINUOUS - DAY
WHOOSH -- Martinez fires a burn from the nosecone array. The
thrusters fight against the slow tilt of the spacecraft...
INT. MAV - CONTINUOUS - DAY
VOGEL
You are firing the OMS?
MARTINEZ JOHANSSEN
C'mon... c'mon... 12.9 degrees...
BECK
Commander. You need to get back to the
ship. Now.
MARTINEZ
Agreed. He's gone, Ma'am...
EXT. STORM - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Lewis stands alone in the storm.
MARTINEZ (OVER RADIO)
Watney's gone.
She stares out at the darkness all around her.
11.
INT. MAV - CONTINUOUS - DAY
Martinez fights the controls. Beck and Johanssen share
nervous glances. Finally:
LEWIS (OVER RADIO)
Copy. On my way.
JOHANSSEN
11.6... 11.5... holding at 11.5...
INT. MAV - AIRLOCK - CONTINUOUS - DAY
WHOOSH. Down below, Lewis slams the airlock door shut. She
tears off her suit. Makes her way to the flight cabin.
She doesn't say a word as she straps herself in to her couch.
For a moment, nobody speaks. Then:
MARTINEZ
Still at pilot release. Ready for
launch.
Lewis closes her eyes. Nods.
MARTINEZ (CONT'D)
I'm sorry, Commander. You need to
VERBALLY --
LEWIS
Launch.
Martinez nods. Activates the sequence. The pyros FIRE. The
main engines IGNITE...
CLOSE ON LEWIS. Just as the MAV LURCHES UPWARD, we --
CUT TO:
INT. NASA - PRESS ROOM - DAY
THEODORE "TEDDY" SANDERS, Director of NASA, steels himself
before he steps to the podium. Normally, he leaves these
briefings to his press secretary.
Today is different. He opens a RED FOLDER.
TEDDY
At around 4:30 a.m., central standard
time, our satellites detected a storm
approaching the Ares 3 mission site on
Mars.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
12.
CONTINUED:
TEDDY (CONT'D)
By 6:45, the storm had escalated to
"severe," and we had no choice but to
abort the mission. Thanks to the quick
action of Commander Lewis, astronauts
Beck, Johanssen, Martinez, and Vogel were
all able to reach the Mars Ascent Vehicle
and perform an emergency launch at 7:28
central time.
(THEN)
Unfortunately, during the evacuation,
Astronaut Mark Watney was struck by
debris and killed. Commander Lewis and
the rest of her team were able to
intercept safely with the Hermes and are
now heading home...
(wavers, then)
But Mark Watney is dead.
As the CACOPHONY of questions erupts from the press --
EXT. MARS - DAY
Clear skies above the surface of Mars once again. PRELAP the
sound of an ALARM: ARRR... ARRR... ARRR...
A BODY lies facedown, half-covered in red sand at the base of
a hill. We catch a glimpse of the nametag on the spacesuit:
"Watney."
The OXYGEN ALARM inside the helmet continues to BLARE. And
just as it builds to crescendo...
Mark Watney gasps for air.
He jerks back into consciousness. He's disoriented, alarms
BLARING inside his helmet. As he struggles to move...
He screams in pain. Glances down. Sees:
A JAGGED LENGTH OF ANTENNA has pierced his spacesuit and
stabbed straight into his abdomen. CAKED BLOOD all around
the wound.
Mark's training kicks in -- the suit is breached -- he
struggles to his knees -- gasping in pain -- he reaches to
the side of his helmet for the BREACH KIT -- pulls the valve
free -- grabs hold of the antenna... grits his teeth...
AND YANKS the antenna out of his side. The antenna SNAPS
FREE -- the suit is exposed to atmosphere -- the pressure
inside DROPS -- Mark CRIES OUT, goes woozy --
But stays conscious.
(CONTINUED)
13.
CONTINUED:
He slams the breach kit over the hole. Seals it. Checks his
arm readout. The oxygen stabilizes. He's still alive.
For now.
He struggles to his feet. Picks up the length of antenna.
Begins the LONG CLIMB up the hill.
EXT. MARS - HAB - DAY
We're WITH MARK as he makes the climb, and as he crests the
hill we swing around to reveal:
THE ARES 3 HABITATION (a.k.a. "The Hab"): The large, white
tent-like structure where the six crew members lived during
their time on Mars.
It's been battered by the storm, but it's still intact. Mark
registers momentary relief. But then his eyes dart over to
the MAV LAUNCH SITE.
It's empty.
He keeps walking.
INT. HAB - AIRLOCK - DAY
Mark fumbles his way into one of the hab's airlocks. As soon
as the airlock equalizes, he tears off his helmet...
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark stumbles into the main area. Peels off his jumpsuit.
WINCES as he rips the blood-caked fabric away from HIS WOUND.
His fingers probe the puncture. It's deep. That's bad. He
checks his back for an exit wound. There's none. That's
good. He grabs the broken antenna he brought with him. His
fingers trace the bloodied end. It's jagged -- as though a
piece of the antenna broke off inside him.
That's really bad.
Mark stumbles over to the first-aid station. Grabs supplies.
Anesthetic. Syringe. Forceps. Needle. Suture thread.
(This is not exactly going to be easy to watch.)
Sweat pouring off his brow, Mark loads up the syringe with
anesthetic. Grits his teeth. Injects it into his wound.
Gasps. Breathes. Grabs the forceps. Hesitates. I don't
want to do this. He takes a deep breath...
And digs the forceps into his wound.
(CONTINUED)
14.
CONTINUED:
He CRIES OUT in pain. Nearly goes unconscious. Fights it.
Don't pass out, Mark. He probes with the forceps, grimacing
in agony. He can't find it. Pushes the forceps in deeper.
And DEEPER. Jesus. Mark's face goes WHITE.
He finds it. Yanks the forceps free. Sees the small piece
of shrapnel. It's out. Hallelujah.
Mark grabs the needle. Tries to thread it. His hands won't
stop shaking. He makes fists. C'mon Mark. Steadies himself
just enough.
He begins to stitch himself up. Bit by agonizing bit. His
hands keep shaking, but he refuses to stop until the wound is
closed. Finally...
He's done. He clips the sutures. Collapses back into his
chair. Oh Jesus. Tries to catch his breath.
We slowly ANGLE IN ON MARK as he struggles to breathe... and
breathe...
And as we settle into a CLOSEUP, we see the full reality of
Mark's situation hit him. He's in agony. Left for dead.
All by himself.
The only man on the planet.
His eyes drift to the middle distance. Then...
MARK
Fuck.
CUT TO TITLE:
THE MARTIAN
INT. HAB - DAY
CAM ANGLE: we're looking through what (we assume) is a NASA
camera. Mark's head peeks into frame. He adjusts the
camera, seems unfamiliar with how to work the video journal.
MARK
Okay. Okay...
He types on the keypad. We see the NASA TIMESTAMP appear on
the frame. There, it's working.
MARK (CONT'D)
This is... Mark Watney. Astronaut. I am
entering this log for the record, in case
I... don't make it. It's...
(MORE) (CONTINUED)
15.
CONTINUED:
MARK (CONT'D)
oh-six-fifty-three on Sol 19. And... I'm
still alive.
(THINKS)
Obviously. But I'm guessing this is
going to be a surprise to my crewmates.
And NASA. And... the world. So...
surprise.
(THEN)
I didn't die on Sol 18. Best I can tell -
Mark holds up the jagged piece of antenna.
MARK (CONT'D)
-- this length of our primary
communications antenna tore through my
bio-monitor. And ripped a hole in me as
well. It was horrible thank you for
asking. But the antenna... and the
blood... managed to seal the breach in my
suit. Which kept me alive. Even though
the team must have thought I was dead.
(THEN)
Commander Lewis... If you ever hear
this... Listen. It wasn't your fault.
Just bad luck. You did what you had to
do, and if I had been in your position I
would have done the same. I'm glad you
guys made it.
(THEN)
All right, though. That's where we're
at. Mark Watney, stranded on Mars. I
have no way to contact NASA because our
communications antenna broke and stuck
into my stomach. Which we've covered.
And even if I could, it will take... four
years before the next manned mission gets
here. And I'm in a Hab designed to last
thirty-one days.
(THEN)
If the oxygenator breaks, I'll suffocate.
If the water reclaimer breaks, I'll die
of thirst. If the Hab breaches, I'll
just sort of... implode. And if, by some
miracle, none of that happens...
eventually I'm going to run out of food.
So... yeah.
Mark trails off. It's one thing to know it. It's another to
say it out loud.
MARK (CONT'D)
Yeah.
16.
INT. HAB - NIGHT
Mark sits in his bunk. Drumming his fingers on the wall.
Thinking.
EXT. MARS - DAWN
The first slivers of sunlight start to creep over the
horizon.
TITLE: SOL 21
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark flushes the toilet, which begins the procedure of vacuum-
drying the waste. Mark glances back at the system. Hmmm...
The system finishes its process, sealing the waste into --
A SILVER BAG.
Mark studies the bag. Idea forming.
INT. HAB - DAY
Inventory. Mark removes all of the ration packs, stacking
them in orderly piles as he catalogues their contents. One
case in particular catches his attention.
Label: "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL THANKSGIVING."
INT. HAB - DAWN
Mark sits in the darkness. We get the sense he hasn't moved
much in the night. He stares into the middle distance.
Then.
He makes the decision. Get up, Mark. He gets to his feet.
Moves with purpose as he rummages through the hab. Looking
for something. Where is it? There...
A pencil.
He pulls a notecard free from one of his manuals. Paper.
Back to basics. He sits at the table. And begins writing
math equations.
MARK (PRELAP)
Let's do the math...
CUT TO:
(CONTINUED)
17.
CONTINUED:
Mark addresses camera. He looks a little less-terrible than
he did before.
MARK (CONT'D)
Our surface mission here was supposed to
take thirty-one days. For redundancy,
they sent enough food to last for sixty-
eight days. For six people. So for just
me, it'll last three-hundred days. And I
figure I can stretch that to four hundred
if I ration. So... I've still gotta
figure out how to grow three years worth
of food. Here. On a planet where
nothing grows. Luckily, I'm the
botanist.
Mark holds up one of his mission briefs. Points to the word
"Botanist" under "Watney." Looks at us like, impressed?
MARK (CONT'D)
Mars will come to fear my botany powers.
EXT. HAB - DAY
Mark collects the pile of silver bags. Carries them inside.
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark stands in the kitchen, surrounded by silver bags. He
fills a large container with water from the Reclaimer. He
dumps in the contents of the compost bin.
Then he stares at the bags. He does not look happy.
He tears open a bag. Dumps the contents into the bin. Tears
open another bag. As he does so, he starts to GAG --
TITLE: SOL 24
EXT. MARS - HAB - DAY
Mark scoops Martian dirt into a container with a small
shovel. He carries the container to the airlock --
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark enters the Hab, dumps his container of dirt into a
corner where he's cleared an empty area.
TITLE: SOL 25
18.
INT. HAB - DAY
Same shot. Mark enters with another container. We follow to
reveal... there's now a HUGE PILE of dirt in the corner.
TITLE: SOL 28
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark has spread the dirt over a third of the Hab floor. He
stares at the compost bin. Eyes it like it's his nemesis.
Then he takes a deep breath. Opens the bin. Begins dumping
it over the Martian dirt.
He can't hold his breath forever. He breathes eventually.
Oh god, that's horrible.
TITLE: SOL 31
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark cuts each potato into four quarters, making sure each
quarter has at least two eyes.
He begins planting each potato quarter in nice, orderly rows.
As he works, we slowly WIDEN OUT to reveal --
The ENTIRE HAB is now covered in SOIL. Not just the floor --
Mark has cleared every available surface -- bunks,
countertops, table -- and covered it with his dirt.
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark packs soil on top of one of the crew member's bunks. As
he moves the personal items aside, he finds a DATA-STICK. He
holds it up and looks at it: hmmmm. CUT TO:
Mark has plugged the data-stick into the computer and is now
viewing its contents: old episodes of seventies television.
Mark just sits there. Watching HAPPY DAYS.
TITLE: SOL 36
MARK (PRELAP)
The problem is water...
INT./EXT - ROVER - DAY
Mark trudges out to the Mars Descent Vehicle (MDV) -- the
lander that brought the six of them to Mars. He delicately
begins to remove the Hydrazine tank from the undercarriage...
(CONTINUED)
19.
CONTINUED:
MARK (V.O.)
I've created one-hundred and twenty-six
square meters of soil. But each cubic
meter needs forty liters of water to be
farmable. So, I gotta make a lot of
water. Fortunately, I know the recipe.
Take hydrogen. Add oxygen. Burn.
Unfortunately... burn.
(THEN)
I have hundreds of liters of unused
Hydrazine from the MDV. If I run the
Hydrazine over an iridium catalyst, it'll
separate into N2 and H2...
INT. HAB - DAY
Science time. Quick cuts now as Mark shows us how to make
water by burning rocket fuel:
-- Mark duct tapes torn trash-bags to create a tent, which he
uses to cover his work table.
-- He tears an air hose from one of the space suits, tapes it
to the tent, hangs it from the roof. Now he has a chimney.
-- Mark vents pure oxygen from a tank, lights it with a spark
from battery wires. Whoosh. Points the flame at the wood
shavings. Now he has a small torch.
-- Mark holds the torch, starts the Hydrazine flow. The
Hydrazine sizzles on the iridium and DISAPPEARS.
FOLLOW Mark's gaze up to the chimney. FLAME BURSTS start
sputtering out from the hose. Mark grins. It's working.
Mark checks his instruments. Watches the temperature
carefully. Repeats the process.
We may also notice Mark is wearing the protective inner
lining of his EVA suit. Along with goggles. An oxygen mask
hangs around his neck.
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark talks directly to camera. We may notice he is standing
in the middle of what looks like a mad-scientist's chemistry
experiment.
MARK
Then I just need to direct the hydrogen
into a small area and burn it. Luckily,
in the history of humanity, nothing bad
has ever happened from lighting hydrogen
on fire.
(CONTINUED)
20.
CONTINUED:
Mark just stares at the camera. Then continues.
MARK (CONT'D)
Believe it or not, the challenge has been
finding something that will hold a flame.
NASA hates fire. Because of the whole
"fire makes everyone die in space" thing.
So everything we brought with us is flame
retardant. With the notable exception
of... Martinez' personal items.
He holds up Martinez' pack. Removes a small wooden cross.
MARK (CONT'D)
Sorry, Martinez. If you didn't want me
to go through your stuff, you shouldn't
have left me for dead on a desolate
planet.
He starts shaving the cross down with a knife.
MARK (CONT'D)
I figure God won't mind, considering the
situation.
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark's still at it. He looks exhausted. He goes through the
procedure once again. Glances at the atmospheric analyzer.
Hm. Is that right? Doesn't give it a second thought.
He strikes the torch again...
BOOM!
The explosion is LOUD, FAST, and CONTAINED. It blasts Mark
clear across the room. He hits the ground like a wet rag.
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark talks to camera. His clothes are somewhat scorched.
His hair is singed in patches.
MARK
So. Yes. I blew myself up.
(THEN)
Best guess? I forgot to account for the
excess oxygen I've been exhaling when I
did my calculations. Because I'm stupid.
He's still dazed. A little out of it.
(CONTINUED)
21.
CONTINUED:
MARK (CONT'D)
Interesting side note: this is how Jet
Propulsion Laboratory was founded. Five
guys at Cal Tech were trying to make
rocket fuel and nearly burned down their
dorm. Rather than expel them,
Professor... Von Karman? I want to say...
banished them to a nearby farm in
Pasadena and told them to keep working.
And now we have a space program.
(THEN)
See? I pay attention.
(THEN)
I'm gonna get back to work. As soon as
my ears stop ringing.
He just sits there for a while.
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark's back at it. He checks his math, adjusts the O2
levels. He glances at camera, then crosses his fingers.
Winces as he fires up the torch.
He doesn't blow up. Phew. Starts venting the hydrazine.
CUT TO:
Later. Mark steps back from the table. Wipes the sweat from
his brow. Looks at his hands. Sweat. He walks over to the
walls. Sees the condensation. Beads of water everywhere.
He traces them with his finger.
It's as though he's created a rainforest in his Hab.
He walks to the WATER RECLAIMER. Takes the lid off the TANK.
It's now FILLED with water. Mark grins.
TITLE: SOL 48
INT. HAB - DAY/NIGHT
WIDE SHOT: we see the entire Hab. The surfaces covered with
soil, the cramped living space, the mad-scientist experiment.
Mark works at the table. And as he does so... we begin to
SPEED UP. Time lapse photography:
Mark vents the Hydrazine -- Mark checks his readouts -- Mark
collects water from the reclaimer -- Mark spreads the water
over his soil -- Mark eats lunch -- Mark goes back to work --
Moving faster and FASTER:
(CONTINUED)
22.
CONTINUED:
Mark sleeps -- Mark puts on his spacesuit -- Mark exits the
Hab -- Mark brings in more dirt -- Mark vents Hydrazine --
Mark eats -- Mark sleeps --
While the days FLY BY, we're slowly ANGLING towards the back
of the room...
-- Mark works Mark eats Mark sleeps Mark works --
Towards a small patch of SOIL in the corner. We land in
CLOSEUP: soil filling the frame. We HOLD.
And after a beat...
A single, green SPROUT breaks through the soil.
TITLE: SOL 54
CUT TO BLACK.
EXT. SPACE
And FROM BLACK, we FIND EARTH. The calming blue-greens a
welcome reprieve from the fiery reds of Mars.
EXT. ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY - DAY
Teddy speaks before a memorial. A somber crowd listens in
silence. We watch from far away.
TEDDY
Our nation was blessed to have Mark
serving in our space program. His loss
will be deeply felt, but the men and
women of NASA will soldier forth, onward
and upward, unbroken in the mission of
their agency. In doing so, they honor
the legacy Mark leaves behind, and they
ensure his sacrifice will not be in vain.
EXT. NASA - DAY
A MAN walks past the NASA logo greeting visitors at the gate.
TITLE: JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, HOUSTON, TX
INT. NASA - DAY
The man enters the main lobby.
TITLE: VINCENT KAPOOR, DIRECTOR OF MARS MISSIONS, NASA
Guards glance up from the television, nod hello. As Vincent
walks through security, we catch a glimpse of their screens:
(CONTINUED)
23.
CONTINUED:
A CNN TITLE reads: "President Speaks At Watney Memorial."
INT. NASA - VARIOUS - DAY
As Vincent makes his way through NASA, we notice EVERYONE IN
THE BUILDING is watching news reports of the Watney service.
ON THE SCREENS: We catch a brief glimpse of a female
astronaut floating in zero-g, eulogizing Mark.
INT. NASA - TEDDY'S OFFICE - DAY
A man sits at his desk, staring out the window. We recognize
him from the beginning of the movie.
TITLE: TEDDY SANDERS, DIRECTOR OF NASA
ON THE TELEVISION, we see Teddy shake hands with the
President at the service.
Vincent gives it a passing glance as he enters.
VINCENT
I thought you gave a lovely speech, by
the way.
Not one for small talk, Teddy gestures for Vincent to hand
him the request form he's holding.
VINCENT (CONT'D)
I need you to authorize my satellite
time.
Teddy gives it a quick glance, shakes his head.
TEDDY
It's not gonna happen.
VINCENT
We're funded for five Ares missions. I
think I can get Congress to authorize a
sixth.
TEDDY
No.
VINCENT
They evac'd after eighteen sols. There's
half a mission worth of supplies up
there. I can sell another mission at a
fraction of the cost. I just need to
know what's left of our assets.
(CONTINUED)
24.
CONTINUED:
TEDDY
You're not the only one who needs
satellite time. We've got the Ares 4
supply missions coming up. We should be
focusing on the Schiaparelli Crater.
VINCENT
I'm talking about securing us another
mission. We have twelve satellites in
orbit, we can surely spare a few hours --
TEDDY
It's not about the satellite time, Vince.
Vincent shrugs -- then what is it?
TEDDY (CONT'D)
We're a public domain organization. We
have to be transparent about this.
VINCENT
And?
TEDDY
The second we point the satellites at the
Hab... I broadcast pictures of Mark
Watney's dead body to the world.
VINCENT
(DISBELIEF)
You're afraid of a PR problem?
TEDDY
Of course I'm afraid of a PR problem.
Another mission? Congress won't
reimburse us for a paper clip if we put a
dead astronaut on the cover of The
Washington Post.
VINCENT
So... what do we do? He's not going to
decompose. He'll be there forever.
TEDDY
Meteorology estimates he'll be covered in
sand from normal weather activity within
a year.
VINCENT
We can't wait a year for this. We have
work to do.
(CONTINUED)
25.
CONTINUED: (2)
TEDDY
Ares 5 won't even launch for another five
years. We have plenty of time.
Vincent thinks about it. Frustrated. Tries another tack.
VINCENT
Okay, consider this. Right now, the
world is on our side. Sympathy for
Watney's family is high...
He knows this sounds cold, but he's out of options.
VINCENT (CONT'D)
Ares 6 could bring the body back. We
don't say that's the purpose of the
mission, but we make it clear that would
be part of it. We frame it that way, we
get more support in Congress. I can sell
it. But not if we wait a year.
Teddy stares back out the window. Vincent has a point.
VINCENT (CONT'D)
In a year, people won't care any more.
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL - NIGHT
A WOMAN in her twenties checks the work order on her screen.
TITLE: MINDY PARK, SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS, NASA
She straightens up when she sees the request comes from
"KAPOOR, Vincent." She enters the latitude and longitude...
MINDY
Acidalia Planitia...
Her heart starts to beat a little faster. Click. The images
pop up: overhead shots of the Hab site. Morbid curiosity
getting the better of her, she scans for Mark's dead body.
Doesn't find it. Hmmm...
She zooms in on the Hab. That's strange.
And then it hits her.
Oh god.
She doesn't know what to do. It takes her a moment to find
the phone. Heart POUNDING.
(CONTINUED)
26.
CONTINUED:
MINDY (CONT'D)
Security? This is Mindy Park in SatCon.
I need the emergency contact number for
Dr. Kapoor. Yes, him. Yes it's an
EMERGENCY --
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL - NIGHT
A hard-charging WOMAN stares at us in SHOCK --
WOMAN
Oh you have GOT to be SHITTING ME --
TITLE: ANNIE MONTROSE, Director of Media Relations, NASA
Annie, Vincent, and Teddy all huddle in the conference room.
IMAGES of the HAB site on the screens around them.
TEDDY
How sure?
VINCENT
Nearly 100%.
ANNIE
Do you understand the shitstorm that's
about to hit us?
TEDDY
Annie, one thing at a time.
(TO VINCENT)
Prove it to me.
VINCENT
(points to images)
For starters, the solar panels have been
cleaned.
TEDDY
They could have been cleaned by wind.
VINCENT
Look at Rover 2. According to the logs,
Commander Lewis took it out on Sol 17.
Plugged it into the Hab to recharge.
It's been moved.
TEDDY
She could have forgotten to log the move.
VINCENT
Here's the clincher. Check the MDV.
It's been taken apart. There's no way
they do that without telling us.
(CONTINUED)
27.
CONTINUED:
ANNIE
Why don't we talk to Lewis? Let's go to
CAPCOM and ask her directly right now.
Vincent shoots Teddy a glance. After a moment, Teddy
understands what it means.
TEDDY
No. If Watney is really alive... we
don't want the Ares 3 crew to know.
ANNIE
What? How can you not tell them?
TEDDY
They have another ten months on their
trip home. Space travel is dangerous.
We need them alert and undistracted.
ANNIE
They already think he's dead.
VINCENT
And they'd be devastated to find out they
abandoned him alive.
ANNIE
You're on board with this?
VINCENT
We have to protect the crew. There's
nothing they can do anyway. Let them
deal with the emotional trauma when
they're not trapped in a spaceship.
TEDDY
How do we handle the public?
ANNIE
We have twenty-four hours before we're
required to release the pics.
TEDDY
We'll need to release a statement with
them. We don't want people working it
out on their own.
ANNIE
"Dear America. Remember that astronaut
we thought we killed and had a nice
funeral for? Turns out he's alive and we
left him on Mars. Our bad. Sincerely,
NASA."
(CONTINUED)
28.
CONTINUED: (2)
TEDDY
(STANDS UP)
I need to get on a plane to Chicago.
VINCENT
(Why? Oh...)
Mark's parents.
TEDDY
(NODS)
They should hear it from me before it
breaks on the news.
ANNIE
They'll be happy to hear their son's
alive, at least.
TEDDY
He's alive. But if my math is right,
he's gonna starve to death long before we
can help him.
(THEN)
I'm not exactly looking forward to that
conversation.
Vincent's eyes drift to the images of Mars.
VINCENT
Can you even imagine what he's going
through? He's fifty million miles from
home. He thinks he's totally alone and
that we all gave up on him. What kind of
effect does that have on a man's
psychology?
(THEN)
What's he thinking about right now?
EXT. SPACE - MARS - TO ESTABLISH
MARK (PRELAP)
I'm gonna die up here...
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark stares directly into camera.
MARK
...if I have to listen to any more
goddamn disco music.
We now notice that Vicki Sue Robinson's "Turn the Beat
Around" is playing on the computer.
(CONTINUED)
29.
CONTINUED:
MARK (CONT'D)
Jesus, Commander Lewis, you couldn't have
packed anything from this century?
(THEN)
I'm not turning the beat around. I
refuse to.
CUT TO:
INT. HAB - NIGHT
Mark sits at his work station, checking A MAP of Mars while
he makes calculations.
TITLE: SOL 70
MARK (V.O.)
It's time to start thinking long term.
The next NASA mission is Ares 4. It's
supposed to land at the Schiaparelli
Crater, 3,200 km away.
We see Mark trace a route from his position to the crater.
MARK (V.O.)
NASA presupplies each mission years in
advance, so the MAV is already there,
synthesizing fuel. In four years when
the Hermes returns, I'll have to launch
from there. Which means I gotta get to
the crater.
EXT. HAB - DAY
Quick cuts. Mark rips the (VERY large) battery out of Rover
1 and drags it over to Rover 2. Stares at it. Where am I
gonna put this?
INT. HAB - NIGHT
Mark speaks directly to camera.
MARK
But here's the rub. I've got two rovers
designed to go a max distance of 35
kilometers before they need to be
recharged at the Hab. That's problem A.
Problem B is it'll take me... roughly
fifty days to make the journey. So I
have to be able to live for fifty days.
Inside a rover with marginal life support
the size of a small van.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
30.
CONTINUED:
MARK (CONT'D)
And yeah, problem C is if I don't figure
out how to make contact with NASA in the
first place, none of this matters anyway.
So... yes, in the face of overwhelming
odds, I am left with only one option:
(THEN)
I'm gonna have to science the shit out of
this.
MUSIC UP: The bouncing bass line of "Rubberband Man" by The
Spinners carries us through --
EXT. HAB - DAY
-- Mark attaches the battery to Rover 2 with a makeshift
harness.
EXT. HAB - DUSK
-- Mark sits behind the wheel of his wagon train. Takes it
for a test drive. It's not pretty, but the spare battery
HOLDS. As do the solar cells.
INT. ROVER - NIGHT
Mark speaks to the camera. His teeth are chattering.
MARK
Okay, so... success? I've doubled my
battery life by scavenging Rover 1. BUT.
If I use the heater, it'll eat up half my
battery power every day. If I don't use
the heater, I will be slowly killed by
the laws of thermodynamics.
(tries to stop shaking)
I'd like to solve this problem, but
unfortunately my brain is frozen.
Mark drives back towards the Hab.
EXT. MARS - DAY
Mark drives the Rover across Acidalia Planitia. IN THE
DISTANCE: a GREEN FLAG is planted at the top of a hill.
MARK (V.O.)
Good news: I may have a solution to my
heating problem.
Mark climbs the hill.
MARK (V.O.)
Bad news: it involves me digging up the
Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
31.
CONTINUED:
MARK (V.O.) (CONT'D)
Now, if I remember my training correctly,
one of the lessons was titled, "Don't Dig
Up The Big Box of Plutonium, Mark..."
Mark begins to dig up the big box of plutonium.
MARK (V.O.)
I get it. RTGs are good for spacecraft,
but if they rupture around humans... no
more humans. Which is why we buried it
when we arrived. And planted that flag
so we would never be stupid enough to
accidentally go near it again.
Mark unearths the RTG. It looks like a small missile.
MARK
But. As long as I don't break it...
(HESITATES)
I almost said "everything will be fine"
out loud. My point is...
INT. ROVER - DAY
Mark talks to camera while he drives the rover. He's covered
in sweat. He even has his shirt off.
MARK
I'm not cold anymore. And yes, I could
choose to think about the fact that I'm
warm because I have a decaying
radioactive isotope riding shotgun next
to me, but right now I have bigger
problems on my hands. I've scoured every
single data file on Commander Lewis'
personal drive, and this is officially
the LEAST disco song she owns.
Mark hits play on the computer. "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer
starts playing. It's super disco-y. Mark drives, stone-
faced, while it plays.
EXT. MARS - DAY
The rover heads towards the Hab in the distance, growing
smaller and smaller in frame. Gotta have some HOT LOVE baby
this evening... Hot hot hot hot... stuff...
INT. NASA - PRESS ROOM - DAY
SATELLITE IMAGERY: from above, Mark's rover cuts across Mars.
REPORTER 1
Where is Watney going?
(CONTINUED)
32.
CONTINUED:
A CNN REPORTER conducts an interview with Vincent in the NASA
MEDIA ROOM. Annie watches like a nervous stage mom.
VINCENT
We believe he's preparing for a journey.
He's conducting incremental tests --
taking Rover 2 out for longer and longer
trips each time.
REPORTER 2
To what end? Why would he leave the
relative safety of the Hab?
VINCENT
Communication. We believe he plans to
travel to the Ares 4 launch site in order
to make contact with us. But it would be
a dangerous gamble.
REPORTER 3
He'd be risking his life to talk to you?
VINCENT
(NODS)
This is the problem Mark faces. He's
alone. And he needs to make contact to
survive. But if we could talk to him,
we'd tell him to stay put. Mark needs to
trust we're doing everything in our power
to bring him home alive.
INT. NASA - DAY
Venkat walks quickly down the halls with Annie...
ANNIE
Don't say "Bring him home alive." It
reminds the world he might die.
VENKAT
You think people might forget that?
ANNIE
You asked how you did and I'm giving you
my answer. My answer is "Eh." And yes,
I'm going to make everyone forget there's
a strong likelihood Mark Watney is going
to die because that's what you pay me for
and unfortunately I need this job because
I'm currently paying alimony to two
deadbeat ex-husbands because somehow
gender equality has bitten me square in
the ass.
(CONTINUED)
33.
CONTINUED:
VENKAT
Hard to believe tha--
ANNIE
I left them.
INT. NASA - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY
Vincent and Annie enter just as the rest of the Department
Heads are settling for the meeting. Teddy glances up --
TEDDY
Don't say "Bring him home alive,"
Vincent.
VINCENT
You know, these interviews aren't easy.
God forbid I try to say something
proactive and positive.
TEDDY
Annie...
ANNIE
No more Vincent on television. Copy
that.
Vincent starts to muster an "are you kidding me?" as Mindy
passes out a brief to the department heads.
TEDDY
Seventy-six kilometers. Am I reading
that right?
Nobody's quite sure who Teddy is asking.
MINDY
Are you asking me?
TEDDY
I am.
MINDY
Yes, sir. Mark drove straight away from
the Hab for almost two hours, did a short
EVA, then drove for another two. We
think the EVA was to change batteries.
A man who seems to embody the word "gruff" stares at Mindy
over his brief. Who is this kid?
GRUFF MAN
Are we doing a daddy/daughter thing
today? Where's the Director of SatCon?
(CONTINUED)
34.
CONTINUED:
TITLE: MITCH HENDERSON, Hermes Flight Director, NASA
VINCENT
Ms. Park is the person who figured out
Mark was alive in the first place. She's
in charge of tracking him now.
TEDDY
Quit being a dick, Mitch. Where's Mark
going? Is this another test?
MINDY
He's seventy-six kilometers away from the
Hab. If it's a test and it doesn't
work... he's dead.
TEDDY
He didn't load up the Oxygenator or the
Water Reclaimer?
MINDY
I didn't see that happen, no sir.
TEDDY
You didn't see it?
MINDY
Every forty-one hours, we have a
seventeen minute gap. It's just the way
the orbits work. So... it's possible we
missed something.
TEDDY
I want that gap down to four minutes.
I'm giving you total authority over
satellite trajectories and orbital
adjustments. Make it happen.
MINDY
(um...)
Okay.
TEDDY
Let's assume Ms. Park didn't miss
something, so Mark's not going to Ares 4.
Yet. But he's smart enough to figure out
that's his only chance. Bruce, what's
the earliest we could get a presupply
there?
Teddy looks to the brilliant-but-constantly-harried man
skyping in on the computer screens.
TITLE: BRUCE NG, Director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
(CONTINUED)
35.
CONTINUED: (2)
BRUCE
With the positions of Earth and Mars,
it'll take nine months. And it'll take
us six months to build it in the first
place.
TEDDY
Three months.
(OFF BRUCE)
You're gonna say that's impossible, then
I'm gonna give a speech about the
blinding capabilities of the JPL team.
And then you'll do the math in your head
and say something like "The overtime
alone will be a nightmare."
BRUCE
(oh god I didn't even think
OF THAT)
The overtime will be a nightmare.
TEDDY
Get started. I'll find you the money.
MITCH
It's time to tell the crew.
VINCENT
Mitch, we discussed this.
MITCH
You discussed this. But I'm the one who
decides what's best for the crew. They
deserve to know.
TEDDY
Sorry, Mitch. I'm with Vincent. They
need to concentrate on getting home.
MITCH
Bullshit.
TEDDY
Once we have a real rescue plan, we'll
tell them. Otherwise it's moot. Bruce
has three months to get the payload done.
That's all that matters right now.
BRUCE
We'll do our best.
TEDDY
Mark dies if you don't.
36.
INT. HAB - NIGHT
The Hab has been TRANSFORMED into a makeshift GREENHOUSE.
Plants sprout everywhere. Mark uproots some of the potatoes,
cuts them in pieces. Replants them.
TITLE: SOL 79
MARK (V.O.)
It's been 48 sols since I planted the
potatoes, so now its time to reap and re-
sow. They grew even better than I
expected. I now have 400 healthy potato
plants. The smaller ones I'll re-seed.
The larger ones are my food supply. All
natural, organic, Martian-grown potatoes.
You don't hear that every day, do you?
(THEN)
But, by the way, none of this matters, at
all, if I don't figure out how to make
contact with NASA...
INT. HAB - NIGHT
Back to work. Mark sits at the table, studies his maps. He
can't crack the problem. C'mon, Mark, think...
Then it hits him. He zooms in on the map. We catch a
glimpse of two words: "Chryse Planitia." Mark leaps from his
chair. Studies the map up close.
He nods. Whispers to himself. Okay...
MARK
I know what I'm gonna do.
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL - NIGHT
SATELLITE VIEW: Mark's Rover 2 cuts through Mars.
MINDY
He's on the move again --
Vincent huddles over Mindy's screen.
VINCENT
Where the hell is he going? He hasn't
changed course in thirteen days. And
he's nowhere near course for Ares 4...
MINDY
Unless he's not taking a direct route.
Maybe he's trying to avoid some
obstacle...
(CONTINUED)
37.
CONTINUED:
VINCENT
What obstacle? It's Acidalia Planitia.
There's nothing out there but --
Vincent stops short. Mindy looks at him: what?
VINCENT (CONT'D)
I need a map.
Vincent bolts away. Mindy follows.
INT. NASA - BREAKROOM - NIGHT
Vincent hurries into the employee break room. A lone
TECHNICIAN sits, sipping coffee. ON THE BACK WALL: a large
poster of Mars (the type they sell in gift shops.)
Vincent rips the poster off the wall.
TECHNICIAN
Hey -- c'mon --
VINCENT
I'll buy you a new one.
(TO MINDY)
What's the Hab's location?
MINDY
31.2 degrees north, 28.5 degrees west.
Vincent marks it off on the map with a sharpie. Draws Mark's
location. He needs a ruler. Looks around, grabs the
Technician's notebook out of his hands. Uses the spine to
connect the dots. Studies it. Grins.
VINCENT
I know where he's going.
Vincent, lost in his own world now, bolts for his office. As
he hurries away (leaving Mindy and the Technician behind):
VINCENT (CONT'D)
I need to get on an airplane!
TECHNICIAN
Who's he talking to?
MINDY
I'm honestly not sure.
EXT. MARS - DAY
Mark's Rover 2 crests a hill, approaching HIS DESTINATION:
(CONTINUED)
38.
CONTINUED:
There, buried in a mound of Martian sand, we catch a glint of
metal in the sunlight.
As Mark drives towards it...
INT. JPL LOBBY - DAY
Bruce waits in the lobby as Vincent walks through the front
doors.
TITLE: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
They shake hands.
INT/EXT. JPL STORAGE - DAY
Bruce and Vincent hurry across the JPL campus. In the
background, deer frolic. (NOTE: This is real. Deer frolic
out in the open on the JPL grounds. NOTE: It's awesome.)
VINCENT
What are the odds Mark can get it working
again?
BRUCE
Hard to say. We lost contact in `97. We
think it was battery failure.
(THEN)
Though I'd like to point out it lasted
three times longer than expected in any
scenario.
VINCENT
Nobody's criticizing JPL's work, Bruce.
I want talk to everyone who was here in
`97.
BRUCE
They're already waiting for you.
EXT. MARS - DAY
Mark, on foot now, digs at the location. As he begins to
reveal the buried metal...
INT. JPL - GARAGE
Vincent and Bruce enter the cavernous JPL garage. A large
crowd mills around an APPARATUS covered by a sheet.
VINCENT
This the replica?
Bruce nods, pulls off the sheet to reveal...
(CONTINUED)
39.
CONTINUED:
VINCENT (CONT'D)
Pathfinder.
The American spacecraft launched in 1996. It's in two
notable sections -- the large LANDER and the smaller
SOJOURNER ROVER.
Vincent's eyes gleam as he stares at the craft.
EXT. MARS - DAY
Mark has now uncovered Pathfinder. He stares at it with a
similar gleam in his eye. Then he drags the Lander to the
back of Rover 2, begins lashing it to a makeshift hitch...
TITLE: SOL 109
EXT. HAB - DAY
Sojourner now sits beside the workbench outside the Hab,
watching as Mark methodically takes apart the Lander.
It looks like he's been at this a while. He removes the
battery, replaces it with an environment heater. Like a
surgeon performing a heart transplant.
He locks the heater into place, and as it CLICKS we --
CUT TO BLACK.
INT. JPL GARAGE - DAY
TITLES (S)
PATHFINDER LOG: SOL 0 BOOT SEQUENCE INITIATED TIME 00:00:00
LOADING OS... PERFORMING HARDWARE CHECK... INT TEMPERATURE: -
34C, EXT TEMPERATURE: NONFUNCTIONAL, BATTERY: FULL, HIGAIN:
Okay, LOGAIN: Okay, METEOROLOGY: NONFUNCTIONAL, SOLAR A:
NONFUNCTIONAL, SOLAR B: NONFUNCTIONAL, SOLAR C:
NONFUNCTIONAL, HARDWARE CHECK COMPLETE
THEN:
BROADCASTING STATUS
LISTENING FOR TELEMETRY SIGNAL...
LISTENING FOR TELEMETRY SIGNAL...
LISTENING FOR TELEMETRY SIGNAL...
THEN:
SIGNAL ACQUIRED.
40.
INT. JPL GARAGE - DAY
Vincent, Bruce, and the JPL team see the words come up on the
main screen. The room begins to BUZZ...
EXT. HAB - DAY
Mark stares at the high gain antenna on the Lander. It
starts to MOVE... angling towards Earth.
Mark begins to dance.
INT. JPL GARAGE - DAY
Vincent and Bruce cluster around the station of TIM GRIMES.
TIM
As soon as I received the high-gain
response, I directed Pathfinder to take a
panoramic image.
VINCENT
Have you received it yet?
TIM
Yes, but I thought we would all rather
look at this black screen instead of a
vibrant red planet.
BRUCE
(off Vincent's look)
Tim is our finest comm tech, and we all
appreciate his acerbic wit.
Bruce mouths "I will fire you" to Tim.
TIM
Incoming.
ON THE SCREENS: the panoramic starts to appear, one vertical
stripe at a time.
VINCENT
Martian surface... more surface...
BRUCE
There's the Hab!
VINCENT
What's that?
The image reveals a handwritten note, posted on a metal rod.
(CONTINUED)
41.
CONTINUED:
VINCENT (CONT'D)
"I'll write messages here. Are you
receiving?"
The image reveals two more notes, spaced a few feet apart.
VINCENT (CONT'D)
"Point here for yes." "Point here for
no."
TIM
Thirty-two minute round trip
communications time. He can only ask
yes/no questions, and all we can do is
point the camera. This won't exactly be
an Algonquin round table of snappy
repartee.
BRUCE
Tim.
TIM
Roger that. Pointing the camera...
EXT. MARS - DAY
Mark watches as the camera moves towards one of his notes.
We ANGLE IN on the paper, focusing on one word in particular:
"YES."
MARK (PRELAP)
So here's the rub...
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark addresses camera.
MARK
Somehow, we need to have complex
astrophysical engineering conversations
using only a still-frame camera. From
1996. Luckily, the camera spins 360, so
I can make an alphabet. I just can't use
our alphabet. Twenty-six letters plus
question card into 360 gives us 13
degrees of arc. Too narrow. I wouldn't
know what the camera was pointing at.
So. Hexadecimals to the rescue...
EXT. HAB - DAY
Mark methodically sets up cards marked "A-F" and "0-9" in a
circle around the camera.
(CONTINUED)
42.
CONTINUED:
MARK (V.O.)
I figured one of you guys kept an ASCII
table somewhere...
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark sits in Johanssen's bunk. Scrolling through her laptop.
MARK (V.O.)
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you
supernerd Beth Johanssen, who also had
copies of Zork 2 and Leather Goddesses of
Phobos on her laptop. Seriously,
Johanssen... it's like the Smithsonian of
loneliness on there...
INT. JPL GARAGE - DAY
Tim consults an ASCII chart as he points the camera...
EXT. HAB - DAY
The camera swings from card to card...
MARK (V.O.)
Not that I'm complaining.
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark translates the numbers with his ASCII table:
"HOW ALIVE"
Mark ponders the question. Begins writing his response.
INT. JPL GARAGE - NIGHT
"Impaled by antenna. Bio-monitor destroyed. Crew had reason
to think me dead. Not their fault."
INT. ROVER - NIGHT
Mark inputs the code into the rover's computer.
WATNEY (V.O.)
Now that we can have more complicated
conversations, the smart people at NASA
have sent me instructions on how to hack
the rover so that it can talk to
Pathfinder. If I hack a tiny bit of
code, just twenty instructions in the
Rover's operating system, NASA can link
the rover to Pathfinder's broadcasting
frequency... and we're in business.
(CONTINUED)
43.
CONTINUED:
Mark waits patiently at the computer.
Text pops up on Mark's screen. As he reads:
VENKAT (V.O.)
"Mark, this is Vincent Kapoor...
INT. JPL - GARAGE - NIGHT
Vincent and Bruce huddle around Tim's console while Vincent
dictates and Tim types.
VINCENT
We've been watching you since Sol 54...
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL - NIGHT
Teddy, Mitch, Annie, and the rest of the team watch Vincent's
text cross the screen.
VINCENT (V.O.)
"The whole world is rooting for you.
Amazing job, getting Pathfinder. We're
working on rescue plans. Meantime..."
INT. ROVER - NIGHT
Mark reads the text. His first human contact in quite some
time.
VINCENT (V.O.)
"We're putting together a supply mission
to keep you fed until Ares 4 arrives."
INT. JPL GARAGE - NIGHT
Vincent and Bruce huddle around Tim's console.
TIM
(READING)
"Glad to hear it. Really looking forward
to not dying."
Everyone laughs, cheers. Tim notices there's more...
TIM (CONT'D)
"How's the crew? What did they say when
they found out I was alive?"
Vincent and Bruce share a glance. Vincent thinks about it.
BRUCE
Tell him. Hm. Tell him...
44.
INT. ROVER - NIGHT
Mark watches the text pop up onscreen:
VINCENT (V.O.)
"We haven't told the crew you're alive
yet. We need them to concentrate on the
mission."
INT. JPL GARAGE - NIGHT
The whole room waits patiently. Tim reads the response.
TIM
He says... "They don't know I'm alive?
WHAT THE--"
(HESITATES)
"What the... f-word... f-word in gerund
form... f-word again... is wrong with
you... f-words."
VINCENT
Mark, please watch your language...
INT. ROVER - NIGHT
Mark reads the response.
VINCENT (V.O.)
Everything you type is being broadcast
live all over the world.
Mark's eyes narrow as he types his response. Hits ENTER.
INT. JPL GARAGE - NIGHT
The group reads Mark's response. They go PALE. Oh, Jesus.
Vincent hangs his head. Tim tries not to smile and fails.
INT. NASA - TEDDY'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Teddy is on the phone as Mitch approaches.
TEDDY (INTO PHONE)
Yes sir... he's under a tremendous amount
of stress... I understand. We're working
on it. Thank you, sir.
Teddy hangs up. Glances at Mitch.
TEDDY (CONT'D)
I just had to explain to the President of
the United States what a "bureaucratic
felcher" is.
(CONTINUED)
45.
CONTINUED:
MITCH
I made the mistake of typing it into
Google.
(off Teddy's look)
Don't.
(THEN)
Problem is, Mark's right. This is only
gonna get worse the longer we wait. We
need to tell the crew.
TEDDY
You're bringing this up while Vincent's
in Pasadena so he can't argue the other
side.
MITCH
I shouldn't have to clear this with you
or Vincent or anyone else.
(THEN)
It's time, Teddy.
Teddy thinks about it.
EXT. HERMES - PRESENT - SPACE
THE HERMES: the massive spacecraft makes its way through
space on its long journey back to Earth.
TITLE: Four Months Since Mars Departure
We ANGLE towards one of the windows to FIND COMMANDER LEWIS
staring out at the starfield...
JOHANSSEN (O.S.)
Commander Lewis...
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
Lewis is alone, in a secluded section of the ship. She keys
the console.
LEWIS
Go ahead.
JOHANSSEN (OVER RADIO)
Data dump is almost complete.
LEWIS
Copy. Coming to you.
INT. HERMES - CORRIDOR - SPACE
Lewis floats towards the Semicone-A ladder. MARTINEZ beats
her there. As he floats up the ladder...
(CONTINUED)
46.
CONTINUED:
LEWIS
You're in a hurry.
MARTINEZ
My son turned three yesterday. Should be
some pics of the party.
As they make their way down the ladder, the centripetal force
from the rotating craft creates artificial gravity. Halfway
down, they have to use their hands on the ladder...
INT. HERMES - REC ROOM - SPACE
Lewis and Martinez enter the Rec Room. The others are
already there -- the data dump is the highlight of the day.
JOHANSSEN
All right, we've got a batch of
personals. Dispatching them to your
laptops... I don't need to read Vogel's
weird German fetish emails...
VOGEL
They are telemetry updates.
JOHANSSEN
Whatever does it for you. We've got a
system update, I'll take care of that,
and... huh. There's a voice message.
Addressed to the whole crew.
LEWIS
(SHRUGS)
Play it.
Johanssen opens the message. Hits play.
MITCH (MESSAGE)
Hermes, this is Mitch Henderson. I have
some news. There's no subtle way to put
this: Mark Watney is still alive.
The news hits the crew like a freight train.
MITCH (MESSAGE) (CONT'D)
I know that's a surprise. And I know
you'll have a lot of questions. Here are
the basics: he's alive and healthy. We
found out two months ago and decided not
to tell you. I was strongly against that
decision. We're telling you now because
we finally have communication with him
and a viable rescue plan.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
47.
CONTINUED:
MITCH (MESSAGE) (CONT'D)
We'll get you a full write up of what
happened, but it's not your fault. Mark
stresses that every time it comes up.
Take some time to absorb this. Your
science schedules are cleared for
tomorrow. Send all the questions you
want and we'll answer them. Henderson
out.
For a moment the group sits in stunned silence.
MARTINEZ
He... He's alive?
Vogel cracks a smile.
VOGEL
Watney lives.
Beck starts to laugh. Relief pouring out of him.
BECK
Holy shit. Commander! He's alive!
But Lewis is still in shock. Her words barely a whisper:
LEWIS
I left him behind.
JOHANSSEN
Commander... it wasn't...
BECK
We all left together.
LEWIS
You were following orders.
(THEN)
I left him behind.
The group trades glances, but nobody knows what to say.
Without another word, Lewis turns and exits the room.
EXT. MARS - SPACE - TO ESTABLISH
TITLE: SOL 128
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark removes water from the water reclaimer. Goes down the
rows of plants, watering one by one.
(CONTINUED)
48.
CONTINUED:
MARK (PRELAP)
Now that NASA can talk to me, they won't
shut up...
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark talks to camera.
MARK
They've got a room full of people trying
to micromanage my crops. Which is
awesome. Look, I don't mean to sound
arrogant here, but I'm the best botanist
on the planet. So.
Mark adjusts the camera to show more of the lab. We see the
lush greenery of the potato plants EVERYWHERE.
MARK (CONT'D)
In other news, there's been a request for
me to pose for a picture on the next
transmission. I'm debating between "High
School Senior..."
Mark leans one elbow against an imaginary pillar and hooks
his other thumb on his imaginary belt loops.
MARK (CONT'D)
And "Coquettish Ingenue..."
Mark turns his back to camera, looks at us over his shoulder,
and bites on his thumb suggestively.
MARK (CONT'D)
But I'm not sure how that will translate
with the spacesuit on.
(THEN)
One big bonus of this NASA communication:
Email! Just like the days on the Hermes,
I get data dumps. Not just friends and
family, but NASA also sends choice
messages from the public. Rock stars,
athletes, even The President. The
coolest one is from my alma mater, the
University of Chicago. They say once you
grow crops somewhere, you have officially
"colonized" it. So, technically, I
colonized Mars.
(THEN)
In your face, Neil Armstrong.
MUSIC UP: "Right Back Where We Started From" by Maxine
Nightingale takes us into...
49.
EXT. HAB - DAY
-- Mark stands outside in his suit. Positions himself in
front of the camera. Holds up a notecard. We're behind him,
we don't see what the notecard says. As he poses --
CUT TO:
INT. NASA - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY
Annie tosses a photo on the conference room table:
Mark, in his spacesuit, gives the camera a big thumbs-up. He
holds up a note that says, "Ayyyyyyy!"
ANNIE
I ask for a picture and I get the goddamn
Fonz?
Vincent and Bruce are both on monitors from JPL.
VINCENT (ONSCREEN)
Just be grateful you got something,
Annie.
ANNIE
It's not gonna work. I need something
with less-Happy-Days and more... Mark's
face.
VINCENT (ONSCREEN)
I could tell him to take his helmet off,
but then he'd, you know, die.
TEDDY
Let's release the photo when we detail
the rescue operation. I want to announce
we're launching some supplies to him next
year during the Hohmann Transfer window.
VINCENT (ONSCREEN)
I'm on a plane to you this afternoon.
We'll have the release ready.
TEDDY
Good, but Annie will handle camera
appearances.
Vincent gives a look that says "Et tu, Teddy?"
TEDDY (CONT'D)
Bruce, is your team still on schedule?
(CONTINUED)
50.
CONTINUED:
BRUCE (ONSCREEN)
It'll be tight. But we'll make it.
TEDDY
Nine-month travel time, that puts the
probe to Mars on Sol 868. Did we get the
Botany Team's analysis?
VINCENT (ONSCREEN)
They estimate Mark's crops will last him
until Sol 912. They grudgingly admit
Mark is doing great work.
MITCH
Grudgingly?
VINCENT (ONSCREEN)
Mark has a tendency to tell them to have
sex with themselves whenever they
question one of his decisions.
TEDDY
Get him in line, Vincent. We can't
afford any miscommunication. I hate this
margin. 912 sols worth of food. We get
there on 868. And that's assuming
nothing goes wrong...
EXT/ INT. HAB AIRLOCK - DUSK
Mark finishes putting on his spacesuit. Snaps his helmet
into place. Grabs his toolkit.
Mark steps into the airlock. Closes the door behind him. As
he does, we begin ANGLING towards the carbon-thread canvas
lining the side of the airlock.
As the depressurization process begins, the canvas starts to
STRETCH...
And the sheet RIPS.
The Hab breaches. In one-tenth of a second, the tear travels
the length of the airlock --
The full force of the Hab's atmosphere rushes through the
breach...
KAAAA-BOOOOM!
The airlock (with Mark in it) is LAUNCHED LIKE A CANNONBALL.
It flies forty meters through the air --
51.
INT. HAB - DUSK
QUICK SLO-MO SHOT as the crops inside the HAB are DESTROYED
in the depressurization.
INT/EXT. AIRLOCK - DUSK
RAMP to regular speed --
WHAM! The airlock hits the hillside -- Mark's body SLAMS
into the wall -- his faceplate SHATTERS -- the airlock FLIPS
and TUMBLES down the hill. Mark is tossed around inside like
a ragdoll in a washing machine.
The airlock rolls another fifteen meters...
And comes to a stop.
INT. AIRLOCK - DUSK
Panicked breaths. Ringing ears.
Mark struggles to stay conscious. His head bleeding. Jesus
Christ. What just happened?
He looks through the window. Sees the collapsed Hab. The
debris of ruined equipment scattering the field between them.
Psssssshhhhhhhh...
Mark wipes the blood from his brow, rolls to his knees.
Struggles out of his suit. Checks his wounds. He's alive.
Psssssshhhhhhhh...
What the hell is that sound?
Air.
The airlock is leaking.
Mark's heart starts to pound. He searches frantically for
the leak, checking every seam, every inch of fabric...
Psssssshhhhhhhh...
Mark checks his arm computer. Oxygen flow steady. This will
keep him alive. For now. But he has to find that leak...
Think, Watney. How do you find an invisible leak?
He does an inventory. He has his toolkit. He has the patch
kit from his suit. Think, Watney...
(CONTINUED)
52.
CONTINUED:
It hits him.
He pulls the knife out of the toolkit...
And cuts his own hair.
He hacks a chunk clean out of it. Holds the loose hair
tight. Then he goes back to the arm computer. BOOSTS the
oxygen flow. Now, all I need is a spark...
Yanks the WIRES from the power generator free. Strips the
casing. Here goes nothing...
He holds the wires in the oxygen flow, rubs them together to
create a SPARK. WHOOSH. He lights the hair on fire,
creating the key to his plan:
SMOKE.
Mark holds his breath. Watches the smoke wisp and curl
towards the floor...
Heading right through the microscopic TEAR in the fabric.
Mark grins. I've got you. Goes back to the toolkit. Finds
that old stalwart of every NASA space mission: Duct tape.
He tears a piece free. Seals the hole. The hissing stops.
Mark breathes. Okay...
Now what?
CUT TO:
Mark cuts off one of the arms from his EVA suit. Cuts it
into one square piece. Opens the patch kit. Works fast to
glue the square over the area where the faceplate used to be.
Then glues the arm-hole shut.
CUT TO:
WHAM! Mark slams his back into the airlock wall, hitting it
with enough force so that...
The airlock ROLLS.
It's clumsy -- like rolling a phone booth from inside -- but
it works. The airlock rolls a little less than a meter.
Mark takes a breath. Girds himself to do it again...
53.
INT/EXT. AIRLOCK/HAB - NIGHT
The airlock has traveled the fifty meters so that it's now
close to the Hab.
Mark exits the airlock. He's wearing the patched-up suit.
Which means his faceplate is completely covered with fabric,
and he only has one arm free.
He points the free arm in front of him and begins to walk.
INSIDE THE SUIT:
Mark is using the camera in his arm computer to navigate.
The camera projects an image onto the inside of the
faceplate. Which is now fabric. It's crude, but it'll work.
MARK'S POV: Mark hurries through the rip in the airlock.
Stumbles through the deflated Hab, past the mess of debris,
heading for the bunk. Finds what he's looking for...
Martinez' SUIT.
INT. HAB - NIGHT
Mark stands in the center of the Hab. We finally get a good
look at it. And it's A MESS. Equipment overturned, debris
everywhere. But the worst part?
Mark's crops are RUINED.
Mark stares at the disaster of frozen soil and uprooted
plants. All his work. His lifeline. Destroyed.
He stares at the mess for a long time.
Then he begins to clean it up.
INT. ROVER - NIGHT
Mark sits at the keypad. Takes a moment to compose his
words. God, how do I explain this? As he begins to type...
VINCENT (PRELAP)
The crops are dead...
INT. NASA - CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT
Vincent, Teddy, Annie and a team of others study the analysis
reports. Mood is somber.
VINCENT
Complete loss of pressure boiled off most
of the water.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
54.
CONTINUED:
VINCENT (CONT'D)
Any bacteria that survived, died in the
sub-zero temperatures when exposed to
Mars' atmosphere.
ANNIE
How long does he have?
VINCENT
He can still eat the potatoes he has, he
just can't grow any more. We estimate
they'll give him about 200 sols.
TEDDY
And rations get him to what? Sol 409?
VINCENT
(NODS)
So with potatoes he can stretch to 609.
ANNIE
By Sol 868 he'll be long dead.
TEDDY
We're gonna have to launch as soon as
possible. Which changes our travel time.
MITCH
We're working on it. Prelim estimates
call for a four-hundred fourteen day
trip.
TEDDY
(DOES MATH)
It's Sol 135 now. We need thirteen days
to mount the boosters and perform
inspections. Which gives Bruce and his
team...
(FUCK)
Forty-seven days to make this probe.
ANNIE
How long does it normally take?
VINCENT
Six months. Minimum.
TEDDY
I'm gonna let you call Bruce and give him
the news.
INT. JPL BULLPEN - NIGHT
Bruce and his team sit around a speakerphone. They've just
hung up with Vincent. Everyone looks suitably SHELLSHOCKED.
(CONTINUED)
55.
CONTINUED:
BRUCE
Okay.
(LONG PAUSE)
Okay.
Everyone is at a loss for words. You might as well have told
this team they have to build a unicorn.
BRUCE (CONT'D)
I'm, uh... I'm gonna need a change of
clothes. We're all gonna need a change
of clothes.
EXT. HERMES - SPACE
The Hermes continues on its course back to Earth.
TITLE: SOL 136
MARTINEZ (PRELAP)
"Dear Mark..."
INT. HERMES REC ROOM - SPACE
Martinez types at his terminal.
MARTINEZ (V.O.)
"Apparently, NASA's letting us talk to
you now, and I drew the short straw.
Sorry we left you behind on Mars, but we
don't like you."
INT. ROVER - NIGHT
Mark reads his email.
MARTINEZ (V.O.)
"Also, it's a lot roomier on the Hermes
without you. We have to take turns doing
your tasks, but it's only botany (not
real science.) How's Mars?"
Mark types his response.
MARK (V.O.)
"Dear Martinez, Mars is fine. I
accidentally blew up the Hab, but
unfortunately all of Commander Lewis'
disco music still survived."
INT. HERMES REC ROOM - SPACE
Martinez reads Mark's response.
(CONTINUED)
56.
CONTINUED:
MARTINEZ
"How's the Hermes? Cramped and
claustrophobic? Every day I go outside
and look at the vast horizons just
because I can."
(THEN)
"Tell the others I said hello."
Martinez types. We see his response on his screen:
"Will do."
EXT. HAB - DAY
Back to work. No choice. Mark clears the detritus from
inside the Hab. Stares at the hole in the airlock.
INT./EXT. HAB - DAY
Mark covers the hole with Hab canvas. Begins strapping it in
place with duct tape. Doubles up the tape in a circular
pattern. Studies his work. It's not pretty, but with a
little luck...
Mark repressurizes the Hab. Watches the canvas stretch as
the pressure equalizes. He holds his breath...
The canvas holds.
INT. HAB - NIGHT
Mark takes inventory of his remaining potatoes. Outside,
gusts of wind slam the canvas.
Mark tries to stay focused on the matter at hand. Tries not
to think about the fact that his life is currently held
together by duct tape.
Keep working, Mark...
INT. JPL - RICH'S OFFICE - NIGHT
A man sleeps in his office, half-on and half-off his small
love seat. He snores ever-so-slightly.
TITLE: RICH PURNELL, ASTRODYNAMICS, NASA
On his computer screen, we see orbital computations running.
Vectors between Earth and Mars cycle over and over.
VOICE (O.S.)
Rich?
MIKE WATKINS pokes his head in Rich's office. Rich stirs.
(CONTINUED)
57.
CONTINUED:
MIKE
Rich? Wake up. Sorry, they're asking
for the probe courses.
RICH
What time is it?
MIKE
3:42.
Rich nods. Grabs the old cup of coffee from his end table.
Takes a big drink. His face registers shock. He opens his
mouth and lets the coffee fall directly on the floor.
MIKE (CONT'D)
I know we're coming at this backwards,
but we can't commit to a firm launch date
with this many unknowns.
RICH
It's all right. All twenty-five models
will take four-hundred fourteen days to
reach Mars. They vary only slightly in
thrust duration, and the fuel requirement
is nearly identical.
MIKE
(looking at Rich's
CALCULATIONS)
Four-hundred fourteen days. Not an ideal
time to launch, is it?
RICH
Earth and Mars are really badly
positioned. Heck, it's almost easier
to...
Rich trails off.
MIKE
Almost easier to what?
RICH
(lost in his head)
I need more coffee...
MIKE
Almost easier to what?
Rich walks out of the room.
MIKE (CONT'D)
You understand I'm your boss, right?
58.
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL - DAY
Vincent dictates a message to Mark. Mindy types while he
talks.
VINCENT
"...the probe will take 414 days to reach
you, and will deliver enough food to last
you to Ares 4."
MINDY
Tell him about the name.
VINCENT
"We've officially named the probe
`Iris'..."
INT. ROVER - DAY
Mark reads the message in the Rover.
VINCENT (V.O.)
"After the Greek goddess who traveled the
heavens with the speed of wind. Among
other things, she's also the goddess of
rainbows."
Mark types his response...
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL - DAY
Mindy reads Mark's response on his screen as Vincent waits.
Mindy suppresses a smile, throws it up on the main screens:
"Gay probe coming to save me. Got it."
INT. NASA - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY
Teddy addresses the group from the head of the table.
TEDDY
Okay, let's ask the...
(consults his files)
Two hundred million dollar... sorry, five
hundred... That's a "five?"
(off their looks)
Let's ask the very, very expensive
question: is this probe gonna be ready on
time?
Bruce looks noticeably more exhausted than everyone else.
BRUCE
We're behind.
(CONTINUED)
59.
CONTINUED:
TEDDY
Give me a number.
BRUCE
Fifteen days. If I had another fifteen
days, I could get it done.
TEDDY
All right, let's create fifteen days.
Thirteen days to mount the probe. Can we
reduce?
VINCENT
It... actually only takes three days to
mount it. We can get that down to two.
But the other ten are for testing and
inspections.
TEDDY
How often do those inspections reveal a
problem?
The room goes silent. Everyone trades nervous glances.
MITCH
Are you suggesting we don't do the
inspections?
TEDDY
Right now I'm asking how often they
reveal a problem.
VINCENT
About one in twenty launches. But that's
grounds for a countdown halt. We can't
take that chance.
TEDDY
Anyone else know a safer way to buy more
time?
Nobody does.
TEDDY (CONT'D)
Tell Dr. Keller to stretch Watney's
rations four more days. She won't like
it, but that'll get us to fifteen. And
we'll cancel the inspections.
VINCENT
Teddy...
(CONTINUED)
60.
CONTINUED: (2)
TEDDY
It's on me, Vincent.
(TO BRUCE)
You've got your two weeks. Get it done.
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark sits at the table. A ration pack and two potatoes in
front of him. He talks to camera. He looks depressed.
TITLE: SOL 154
MARK
So. I have to hold out until the probe
gets here with more food. And this is
what "minimal calorie count" looks like.
(holds up the pack)
Standard issue ration. But instead of
three every one day, I'm now eating one
every three days.
(OPENS PACK)
Oh good. Meatloaf.
He divides the meatloaf into thirds. Sets the majority
aside. Focuses on what's left. Which is pathetic.
MARK (CONT'D)
This is today's allotment. Which I will
supplement with potatoes. Which I am
beginning to hate with the fiery passion
of a thousand suns. And now I've been
told to do this.
Mark hacks off even more of the meager ration and half of a
potato and sets that aside. There's barely anything left.
MARK (CONT'D)
The point is, "Stretch the rations four
more days" is a real dick-punch.
There are also two pills on the table. Mark crushes them.
MARK (CONT'D)
I'm dipping this potato in Vicodin and
there's nothing anyone can do about it.
EXT. CAPE CANAVERAL - DAY
The IRIS PROBE, now mounted on the booster, is readied for
launch. WATER VAPOR clouds the launchpad.
The final SUPPLIES are loaded into the probe.
61.
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL - DAY
Full house. Mitch presides over the room, in his element.
MITCH
Do you believe in God, Vincent?
VINCENT
Several. My mother's Catholic and my
father's Hindu.
MITCH
We'll take all the help we can get.
Mitch puts on his headset.
MITCH (CONT'D)
This is the Flight Director. Begin
Launch Status Check.
LAUNCH CONTROL (OVER COMMS)
Roger that, Houston...
And as Mitch runs through the status check...
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL - DAY
Teddy watches the countdown clock from the observation room.
He looks over what appears to be a SPEECH. We catch a few
words, including, "...successful launch..."
Teddy closes the speech in a BLUE FOLDER. As the clock
approaches 00:00:15....
MITCH (ON THE FLOOR)
This is Flight. We are go for launch on
schedule.
TIMER CONTROLLER (V.O.)
10...9...
ON THE FLOOR: Vincent leans against the wall. Deep breath.
TIMER CONTROLLER (V.O.)
8...
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL - DAY
ANNIE paces in front of the NINE TELEVISIONS in her office.
TIMER CONTROLLER (V.O.)
7...6...
62.
INT. JPL - CONTROL ROOM - DAY
BRUCE sits with his engineers, all in rapt attention.
TIMER CONTROLLER (V.O.)
5...4...
INT. JPL - RICH'S OFFICE - DAY
RICH PURNELL works on orbital calculations at his computer.
Isn't paying attention to the launch at all.
TIMER CONTROLLER (V.O.)
3... 2...
EXT. CAPE CANAVERAL LAUNCHPAD - DAY
TIMER CONTROLLER (V.O.)
1...
LIFTOFF. Clamps RELEASE, the booster FIRES --
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL - DAY
TIMER CONTROLLER (V.O.)
...and liftoff of the Iris Supply Probe.
CHEERS course through the room.
While team members congratulate one another, the LAUNCHER
INTERFACE frowns at his station.
LAUNCHER INTERFACE
Getting a little shimmy, Flight.
MITCH
Say again?
INT. HULL - DAY
A VIOLENT SHIMMY rattles the payload as the craft
ACCELERATES. The bolt at the forefront CRACKS --
EXT. IRIS CRAFT - DAY
As the first stage depletes its fuel, it JETTISONS the stage-
clamps. As the stage begins to fall away from the shimmying
craft, it CATCHES HOLD, swinging unnaturally to the side.
The second stage engines IGNITE --
63.
INT. HULL - DAY
WHOOSH -- the acceleration SHAKES the craft. The BOLT SHEARS
CLEAN OFF -- the payload ROCKS -- THE OTHER FOUR BOLTS SNAP --
Iris slips from its supports, and SLAMS INTO THE HULL --
INT. NASA - CONTROL ROOM - DAY
ALARMS and LIGHTS flash across the consoles. A cacophony of
urgent voices from the floor:
LAUNCHER INTERFACE
Whoa! Flight, we're getting a large
precession!
GUIDANCE TELEMETRY
Force on Iris at 7 G's. Intermittent signal loss.
MITCH
Launch, what's happening?
LAUNCHER INTERFACE
It's spinning on the long axis with a 17
degree precession.
COMMS
We've lost readings on the probe, Flight.
MITCH
(GOES COLD)
Shit. It shook loose in the bay.
LAUNCHER INTERFACE
Loss of signal, Flight.
GUIDANCE TELEMETRY
L.O.S. here, too. Same here.
The voices go SILENT. The alarms BLARE. Then:
MITCH
SatCon?
SATCON
No satellite acquisition of signal.
Mitch looks to the main screen. It GOES BLACK, with LARGE
WHITE LETTERS reading: "L.O.S."
CAPCOM
Flight, US Destroyer Stockton reports
debris falling from sky.
(CONTINUED)
64.
CONTINUED:
ON THE SCREENS: cameras catch glimpses of debris trails
falling from the sky.
Mitch puts his head in his hands.
MITCH
Roger.
Then Mitch Henderson says the words every Flight Director
hopes he never has to say:
MITCH (CONT'D)
GC, Flight. Lock the doors.
INT. NASA - VINCENT'S OFFICE - NIGHT
Vincent sits in his office. NASA is eerily silent now. It's
night. Vincent stares into space.
Click. He's been motionless so long, the sensors think the
office is empty and shut off the lights.
Vincent shifts. The lights click back on.
A chime RINGS OUT on his computer. Vincent glances at the
screen, sees a relayed message from Pathfinder:
"WATNEY: How'd the launch go?"
EXT. SPACE - TO ESTABLISH
The SOMBER REDS of MARS blaze against the spacescape.
TITLE: SOL 186
EXT. MARS - DAWN
Mark stands outside. The horizon reflects off his faceplate.
MARK (V.O.)
So, um. Commander Lewis. I need you to
do something for me. If I die. I need
you to check on my parents. They'll want
to hear about our time on Mars first-
hand. I'll need you to do that. It
won't be easy talking to a couple about
their dead son. It's a lot to ask;
that's why I'm asking you. I'm not
giving up. Just planning for every
outcome. Please tell them I love what I
do. And I'm really good at it. And I'm
dying for something big and beautiful.
And greater than me.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
65.
CONTINUED:
MARK (V.O.) (CONT'D)
(THEN)
Tell them I said I can live with that.
EXT. CNSA - TO ESTABLISH - DAY
An impressive headquarters in the heart of Beijing.
TITLE: CHINA NATIONAL SPACE ADMINISTRATION
INT. CNSA - DAY
ONSCREEN: Teddy and Vincent answer questions from reporters.
VINCENT (ONSCREEN)
...we substituted protein cubes for the
standard rations. The thrust of the
launch, combined with the simultaneous
lateral vibration, liquefied the cubes
and created an unbalanced load.
REPORTER 4(ONSCREEN)
Why wasn't this accounted for in the
inspection phase?
TEDDY (ONSCREEN)
In order to make our launch window, we
were forced to accelerate our schedule.
REPORTER 4 (ONSCREEN)
You skipped the inspections?
TEDDY (ONSCREEN)
Yes.
We hear a MAN'S VOICE. He speaks in SUBTITLED CHINESE.
VOICE
Their astronaut is going to die.
Reveal A MAN AND A WOMAN watching the monitor. The voice
BELONGS TO:
TITLE: ZHU TAO, Under-Director, CNSA
ZHU
Perhaps. Perhaps not.
(hands Guo the brief)
The Taiyang Shen's booster. Our
engineers have run the numbers, and it
has enough fuel for a Mars injection
orbit.
TITLE: GUO MING, Director, CNSA
(CONTINUED)
66.
CONTINUED:
GUO
(are you kidding?)
Why hasn't NASA approached us?
ZHU
They don't know. Our booster technology
is classified.
GUO
So if we do nothing...
ZHU
The world would never know we could have
helped.
GUO
Then. Merely for the sake of argument,
let's say we decide to help them...
ZHU
We'd be giving up a booster and
effectively cancelling Taiyang Shen.
GUO considers this. But he's already made the decision...
GUO
We need to keep this among scientists. A
cooperation between space agencies...
INT. NASA - TEDDY'S OFFICE - DAY
We're SLOWLY PUSHING IN on Teddy as he listens to the voice
on the other end of the phone detail the terms.
Teddy closes his eyes. Relief washes over him. It takes him
a moment to realize they're waiting for his answer.
TEDDY
Yes.
INT. JPL - BULLPEN - DAY
Bruce stands at the white boards, addressing his department
heads. He's energized, writing like a madman while he talks:
BRUCE
All right, thanks to our friends in
China, we get one more chance at this.
We finished the Iris probe in sixty-three
days. Now we get to do it again in
twenty-eight...
67.
INT. NASA - SUPER COMPUTER ROOM - DAY
Rich Purnell stares at the calculations on the screen. Can
these be right? He runs the numbers again. As he sees the
readout on his screen, he grins: holy shit, I'm right.
INT. NASA - HALLWAYS - DAY
Rich hurries through the halls.
INT. NASA - VINCENT'S OFFICE - DAY
Vincent's on the phone.
VINCENT
We're jettisoning any sort of landing
system -- the idea is we're only sending
rations, so they can crash land on
Mars...
SECRETARY
WAIT --
Rich barges into to Vincent's office.
RICH
You should hang up the phone.
VINCENT
I'm sorry -- who are you?
RICH
My name is Rich Purnell and I work in
astrodynamics and you should hang up the
phone right now.
VINCENT
(INTO PHONE)
I'll call you back.
Rich hands Vincent his summary.
INT. NASA - CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY
We're FOLLOWING ANNIE as she hurries into the briefing room.
Vincent, Rich, Bruce, and Mitch are already there. Annie's
reading the email on her phone.
ANNIE
What the hell is "Project Elrond?"
VINCENT
I had to make something up.
(CONTINUED)
68.
CONTINUED:
ANNIE
"Elrond?"
MITCH
(REALIZING)
Because it's a secret meeting.
ANNIE
How do you know that? Why does "Elrond"
mean "secret meeting?"
BRUCE
The Council of Elrond. From Lord of the
Rings. It's the meeting where they
decide to destroy the One Ring.
ANNIE
I so quit right now.
TEDDY
(ENTERING)
If we're calling something Project
Elrond, I would like my codename to be
"Glorfindel."
ANNIE
Oh my god I hate every one of you.
MITCH
Teddy doesn't even know what this is
about?
VINCENT
Tell them exactly what you told me.
RICH
I can get the Hermes back to Mars by Sol
561.
Wait... what? Jesus. It's as though Rich just dropped a
bomb in this room.
MITCH
What?
TEDDY
How?
Rich looks around. Grabs items off the table to demonstrate.
RICH
Okay... let's pretend this stapler is the
Hermes. And you are... I'm sorry, what's
your name again?
(CONTINUED)
69.
CONTINUED: (2)
TEDDY
Teddy.
(THEN)
I'm the Director of NASA.
RICH
Okay, Teddy, you're Earth. And right now
the Hermes is heading towards you and is
about to start its month-long
deceleration to intercept. But, instead,
I'm proposing...
(DEMONSTRATES)
We start accelerating immediately, to
preserve velocity and gain even more. We
don't intercept Earth at all, but we come
close enough to use a gravity assist to
adjust course. While we're doing that...
He grabs the pen out of Teddy's pocket.
RICH (CONT'D)
We resupply with the probe --
VINCENT
The Taiyeng Shen.
RICH
Pick up whatever provisions we need...
and then we're accelerating towards Mars.
(TO ANNIE)
You're Mars. And we're going too fast
at this point to fall into orbit, so it's
a flyby.
BRUCE
What good is a flyby if we can't get
Watney off the surface?
VINCENT
Watney would have to intercept using the
MAV.
Vincent demonstrates, blasting his pen off of Annie's
shoulder. Rich catches it, and points everything back
towards Teddy...
RICH
And we head back home. I've done the
math. It checks out.
The group sits in stunned silence. Teddy's the first one to
grasp the full magnitude of what they've just proposed. He
locks eyes with Vincent --
(CONTINUED)
70.
CONTINUED: (3)
TEDDY
Rich?
RICH
Yes sir?
TEDDY
Get out.
And there's no mistaking Teddy's tone, so Rich does exactly
that. After he leaves the room --
TEDDY (CONT'D)
Is he right?
VINCENT
I believe so.
TEDDY
And we need to use the Taiyeng Shen?
VINCENT
Yes.
ANNIE
What am I missing? Why is that
important?
VINCENT
Because we can only do one.
TEDDY
Send Watney enough food to last until
Ares 4, or send Hermes back to get him
right now.
VINCENT
(NODS)
Both plans require the Taiyang Shen, so
we have to choose.
ANNIE
What about the Hermes crew? We'd be
asking them to add...
(does the math)
533 days to their mission.
MITCH
They wouldn't hesitate. Not for a
second. That's why Vincent called this
meeting. He wants us to decide instead.
Vincent nods. That's correct.
(CONTINUED)
71.
CONTINUED: (4)
MITCH (CONT'D)
Bullshit. It should be Commander Lewis'
call.
VINCENT
It's a matter of life and death, Mitch.
We need to make this decision.
MITCH
She's the Mission Commander. Life and
death decisions are her damn job.
TEDDY
Can the Hermes function for 533 days
beyond the scheduled mission end?
VINCENT
It should. The Hermes was made to do all
five Ares missions, so it's only halfway
through lifespan.
ANNIE
But if something went wrong...
VINCENT
We would lose the crew. And the Ares
Program with them.
BRUCE
So... what? We either have a high chance
of killing one person, or a low chance of
killing six people. How do we make that
decision?
VINCENT
We don't. Teddy does.
All eyes on Teddy now. The room sits in silence. Teddy
thinks for a long time. Feeling the full burden of
leadership. Then:
TEDDY
We still have the chance to bring five
astronauts home safe and sound. I'm not
risking their lives.
MITCH
Let them make that decision.
TEDDY
Mitch. We're going with option one.
Mitch stares at Teddy. Quietly seething.
(CONTINUED)
72.
CONTINUED: (5)
MITCH
You goddamn coward.
EXT. HAB - DAY/DUSK
Mark trudges out of the airlock, goes about his routine. He
walks over to the solar panels, starts to scrub them for
(what seems like) the thousandth time...
And stops.
He can't do it anymore. He stares at them for a long time.
Then drops the brush.
He walks to the top of the hill. Sits down.
He closes his eyes.
CUT TO:
Later. Mark hasn't moved. The sun is beginning to set. The
temperature ALARM on his suit is beginning to BLARE. It gets
cold FAST on Mars.
Mark overrides the alarm. Sits in the silence. As he
glances back towards the setting sun, something METALLIC
glints in the dust beneath him.
Hmm. Mark gets up. Walks towards it. It's Vogel's specimen
drill. Dropped when the storm hit. Mark looks around, sees
the HOLES drilled in the rock formation.
His fingers trace the unfinished work.
He picks up the drill.
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL - DAY
SATELLITE VIEW: We can see Mark making his way to the Rover.
MINDY
He's been doing EVAs throughout the day.
Vincent is hovering over Mindy's station.
MINDY (CONT'D)
There's a pattern to them. He goes out
three hundred meters. Then stops. Three
hundred more meters. Then stops.
VINCENT
And nobody gave him instructions? Did
JPL schedule something?
(CONTINUED)
73.
CONTINUED:
Mindy shakes her head.
MINDY
He's at the Rover.
(THEN)
We're receiving a transmission.
She pulls it up on the screen. Frowns. It's a jumble of
numbers and data.
MINDY (CONT'D)
"Chem analysis... sample batch 1A-7C..."
Vincent's the first to figure it out.
VINCENT
Commander Lewis' geo-compositing
experiments.
Mindy frowns. I'm sorry, what?
Vincent looks at the screens. Admiration in his eyes.
VINCENT (CONT'D)
He's finishing the mission.
INT. HAB - NIGHT
Mark addresses camera while he works at the experiment table,
diligently crushing the rock samples and testing them with
his chemistry set. Still somber. But he's working.
MARK
We evac'd eighteen sols into a thirty-one
sol mission... Which means we've got
thirteen sols of experiment and research
schedules. For each of us. So.
Commander Lewis... your work's in good
hands. Beck -- I'll be honest with you,
I don't understand chemolithotrophic
detection. At all. But I'm doing my
best. Johanssen, I know you don't like
it when I touch the ChemCam, but guess
what? I'm touching the ChemCam. Vogel,
I think I've got a new cataloguing system
for the core samples that I've titled
"Das Core Samples" out of respect for the
Fatherland. And Martinez... I still
don't know what it is you do. Why did we
bring you? No idea.
(THEN)
I'm trying to keep everything documented
and organized.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
74.
CONTINUED:
MARK (CONT'D)
I know that's not exactly my strong suit,
but I want it all to make sense, in
case... you know. Maybe you can teach it
in class someday. The Watney Syllabus.
"How to Make a Bathtub Using NASA Tubing
and an Old RTG." "How to Cook a Potato
Six-Thousand Different Ways." "How to
Make Water Out of Rocket Fuel. To Keep
You Alive. For Just A Little Longer."
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
From his computer, Vogel runs a diagnostic check on the
ship's engines. As he finishes his work for the day, he
turns his attention to his Email. Frowns when he sees:
"Subject: Unsere Kinder"
Our children? That's strange. He tries to open the
attachment, but it's unreadable.
INT. HERMES GYM - SPACE
Vogel glides along passage to the Rec Room. Johannsen jogs
within the rotating drum. Vogel approaches.
VOGEL
I have a problem.
INT. HERMES GYM - SPACE
Johanssen leads Vogel into the gym.
VOGEL
It's an email from my wife. The subject
line says "Our Children," but the
computer won't open the attachment.
JOHANSSEN
Let's take a look.
(as she works)
Huh. This isn't a jpg. It's a plain
ASCII text file. Looks like... I don't
know what this looks like. Math
equations. Does this make any sense to
you?
VOGEL
(READS)
"Rich Purnell Maneuver." Ja. It is a
course maneuver for the Hermes...
And as Vogel tries to make sense of what he's looking at, one
phrase in particular stands out on the screen:
(CONTINUED)
75.
CONTINUED:
"SOL 561."
VOGEL (CONT'D)
Mein Gott.
INT. HERMES REC ROOM - SPACE
All five crew members are seated around the main table in The
Rec -- the cramped area of the ship used for personal time.
Lewis finishes briefing the team.
LEWIS
...and the mission would conclude with
Earth intercept 211 days later.
She gives the others a chance to absorb the news. They trade
astonished glances.
MARTINEZ
Would this really work?
LEWIS
We ran the numbers. They check out.
VOGEL
(NODS)
It's a brilliant course.
BECK
Why all the cloak and dagger?
LEWIS
NASA rejected the idea. They'd rather
take a big risk on Watney than a small
risk on all of us. Whoever snuck it in
Vogel's email obviously disagreed.
MARTINEZ
So. We're talking about going directly
against NASA's decision?
LEWIS
Yes. If we do the maneuver, they'll have
to send the supply ship or we'll die. We
have the opportunity to force their hand.
JOHANSSEN
Are we gonna do it?
LEWIS
If it were up to me, we'd already be on
our way.
(CONTINUED)
76.
CONTINUED:
MARTINEZ
Isn't it? Up to you, I mean.
LEWIS
Not this time. This is something NASA
expressly rejected. We're talking about
mutiny. Which is not a word I use
lightly. We do this together, or not at
all. Before you answer, consider the
consequences. If we mess up the supply
rendezvous, we die. If we mess up the
Earth gravity assist, we die. If we do
everything perfectly, we add 533 days to
our mission. 533 more days before we see
our families again. 533 days of
unplanned space travel where anything
could go wrong. Something might break
that we can't fix. If it's mission
critical, we die.
MARTINEZ
Sign me up.
LEWIS
Easy, cowboy. You and I are military.
There's a good chance we'd be court-
martialed when we got home. As for the
rest of you, I guarantee they'll never
send you up again.
BECK
If we go for it... how would it work?
VOGEL
(SHRUGS)
I plot the course and execute it.
JOHANSSEN
Remote Override. They can take over the
Hermes from Mission Control.
LEWIS
Can you disable it?
JOHANSSEN
Hermes has four redundant flight
computers, each connected to three
redundant comm systems. We can't shut
down the comms; we'd lose telemetry and
guidance. We can't shut down the
computers; we need to control the ship.
I'd have to disable the Remote Override
on each system... It's part of the OS,
I'd have to jump over the code...
(CONTINUED)
77.
CONTINUED: (2)
BECK
Johanssen used to go by the hacker handle
"Lady Sorrow" in high school. Just so
we're all on the same page.
JOHANSSEN
Beck is a liar. And he should keep our
conversations private.
(THEN)
But, yeah. I can do it.
LEWIS
It has to be unanimous. If anyone says
no, that's it. We go home as planned.
But I vote yes.
MARTINEZ
I vote yes.
VOGEL
If we do this, it would be over nine
hundred days of space. That is enough
space for one life.
(THEN)
Yes.
Beck thinks about it long and hard. Then:
BECK
Let's go get him.
And then there was one. All eyes turn to Johanssen.
LEWIS
Johanssen?
As Johanssen glances up at us, feeling the full weight of the
world on her small shoulders --
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL - NIGHT
BRENDAN HATCH oversees Mission Control from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m.
The shift is much quieter than the day shift. Usually.
CAPCOM
Flight, CAPCOM.
BRENDAN
Go CAPCOM.
CAPCOM
Unscheduled status update from Hermes.
(CONTINUED)
78.
CONTINUED:
BRENDAN
Roger. Read it out.
CAPCOM
I...I don't get it, Flight. No real
status. Just a single sentence.
BRENDAN
What's it say?
CAPCOM
Message reads: "Houston, be advised: Rich
Purnell is a steely-eyed missile man."
BRENDAN
What? Who the hell is Rich Purnell?
ALARMS start ringing out on the various stations.
GUIDANCE
Flight, Guidance.
BRENDAN
Go Guidance.
GUIDANCE
Hermes is off-course.
BRENDAN
CAPCOM, advise Hermes they're drifting.
Guidance, get a correction ready --
GUIDANCE
Negative, Flight. It's not drift,
they've adjusted course. Deliberate
27.812 rotation.
BRENDAN
What the hell? CAPCOM, ask them what the
hell.
CAPCOM
Roger Flight. Message sent. Minimum
reply time 3 minutes, 4 seconds.
BRENDAN
Telemetry, any chance this is
instrumentation failure?
TELEMETRY
Negative, Flight.
BRENDAN
Oh god. Guidance, Flight.
(CONTINUED)
79.
CONTINUED: (2)
GUIDANCE
Go Flight.
BRENDAN
Work out how long they can stay on this
course before it's irreversible.
GUIDANCE
Working on that now, Flight.
BRENDAN
And somebody find out who the hell Rich
Purnell is!
INT. NASA - TEDDY'S OFFICE - DAWN
Teddy's staring out the window when Mitch enters. Teddy
makes him wait.
TEDDY
Annie will go before the media this
morning and inform them of NASA's
decision to reroute the Hermes to Mars.
MITCH
That seems like the smart move.
Considering the circumstances.
TEDDY
You may have killed the whole crew.
MITCH
Whoever gave them the maneuver only
passed along information. The crew made
the decision on their own.
Teddy looks at him. Don't give me that horseshit.
TEDDY
We're fighting the same war. Every time
something goes wrong, the world forgets
why we fly. I'm trying to keep us
airborne. This is bigger than one
person.
MITCH
No. It's not.
Teddy relents. Just slightly. God, I hope you're right.
THEN:
TEDDY
When this is over... I'll expect your
resignation.
(CONTINUED)
80.
CONTINUED:
MITCH
(a beat; then)
I understand.
TEDDY
(we're finished here)
Bring our astronauts home.
EXT. MARS
Beneath us, sunlight creeps across the ridges of the
Schiaparelli Crater. We PRELAP the sound of DRILLING.
TITLE: SOL 219
MARK (PRELAP)
Every Ares mission requires three years
of presupplies...
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark talks directly to the camera.
MARK (CONT'D)
...so NASA figured out it's a lot easier
to ship some of this stuff ahead of time
rather than bring it with us. So, as a
result, the MAV for Ares-4 is already
waiting at the Schiaparelli Crater. And
the plan is to use it to launch me into
orbit just as the Hermes is passing. And
then, I guess... they catch me? In
space.
Mark thinks about that. Grins. Okay, I guess that sounds
awesome.
MARK (CONT'D)
Anyway, that's not really my problem
right now. First, I have to get there.
And it's 3,200 kilometers away. So I
have 200 sols to figure out how to bring
everything here that's keeping me alive --
the Atmospheric Regulator, the
Oxygenator, and the Water Reclaimer --
along for the ride. Luckily, I have the
brainpower of the entire planet Earth
helping me with this endeavor. So far
we've come up with, "Drill holes in the
roof of your rover and then hit it with a
rock."
(THEN)
We'll get there.
(CONTINUED)
81.
CONTINUED:
MUSIC UP: The opening CHORDS of "Starman" by David Bowie take
us to...
EXT. HAB - DAY
Mark, in his MAV SUIT, stands on top of Rover Two. He holds
the large ROCK SAMPLE DRILL like a jackhammer, drilling holes
through the roof. It's grueling work.
He's been at this a while: we catch a glimpse of the SEVEN-
HUNDRED HOLES he's drilled around the edge of the roof.
He finishes the last hole. Then he grabs a SCREWDRIVER. And
a ROCK. Jams the screwdriver between the holes like a
chisel. WHACK! He hits it with the rock.
WHACK! He hits it again. And again.
EXT. MARS - DAY - BEGIN MONTAGE
"Didn't know what time it was the lights were low, oh, oh..."
Mark positions the partially-disassembled rover in front of
the camera. Frames his handiwork. Waits.
INT. NASA ROVER ROOM - DAY - MONTAGE
"I leaned back on my radio, oh, oh..."
Vincent and his engineers study Mark's photograph. Okay,
good. The engineers start sketching out what to do next...
EXT. CNSA - DAY - MONTAGE
"Didn't know what time it was the lights were low, oh, oh..."
A bleary Teddy and Mitch step into the lobby of the China
National Space Administration. They find Zhu and Guo waiting
for them with an entourage. As they shake hands...
INT. HAB - KITCHEN - DAY - MONTAGE
"There's a starman waiting in the sky..."
Mark, inventories his remaining ration packs while he eats a
potato.
He labels a few ration packs as he sets them aside:
"Departure," "Birthday," "Last Meal..."
EXT. HERMES - SPACE - MONTAGE
The Hermes approaches Earth, slowing rotation...
82.
INT. HERMES - VIDEO BOOTH - REC ROOM - SPACE - MONTAGE
Martinez talks to his wife, MARISSA, on a screen in the video
booth. She's upset with him.
MARISSA
Five hundred and thirty-three days
longer? And you said yes to this?
MARTINEZ
I did. He would have done the same for
me. You know that.
MARISSA
And you think I'm gonna forgive you?
MARTINEZ
I do.
Goddamn it, he's right. After a moment, she holds her hand
up to the screen. He does the same.
INT. JPL - WHITE ROOM - DAY - MONTAGE
Bruce and his team oversee the Iris 2 Probe as it's loaded
into shipping containers.
A few Chinese members of the CNSA (dressed in protective
gear) watch as well.
INT. HERMES - VIDEO BOOTH - REC ROOM - SPACE - MONTAGE
Lewis, floating now due to the lack of centripetal gravity,
talks on the computer to her husband, ROBERT. It's clear
they love each other.
ROBERT (ONSCREEN)
I found it at the flea market. Original.
Pressing.
Robert holds up a vintage 1973 copy Abba's Greatest Hits
album.
Lewis squeals when she sees it. Claps with delight.
EXT. LAUNCH PAD - CHINA - DAY - MONTAGE
The Iris 2 Probe is attached to the booster.
INT. CNSA - DAY - MONTAGE
Mitch engages in a heated argument with the Chinese Flight
Director.
(CONTINUED)
83.
CONTINUED:
MITCH
All due respect to your CNSA protocol, we
haven't done things that way since Apollo
9 --
The translator tries to translate his words. Zhu raises his
eyebrows, glances at Teddy -- is this guy for real?
Teddy shakes his head, Don't look at me, man.
EXT. HAB - DAY - MONTAGE
Mark seals the tent to the roof of Rover 2, then pressurizes
it. Checking for leaks. It's like a hot-air balloon.
INT. NASA - WORK ROOM - MONTAGE
Vincent and his engineers are doing the exact same thing --
they have a mirrored set of Mark's equipment. They try to
figure out how to fit the Oxygenator into the pop tent.
INT. HERMES FLIGHT DECK - SPACE - MONTAGE
Vogel entertains his WIFE and their young CHILDREN. He flips
from a low-G area into a non-G area. ON THE SCREEN: The kids
laugh and laugh.
INT. CNSA - DAY - MONTAGE
The Taiyang Shen LAUNCHES. Mitch, Teddy, and the Chinese
scientists all clap, shake hands.
EXT. MARS - DAY - MONTAGE
"He told us not to blow it `Cause he knows it's all
worthwhile..."
Mark, bops his head to the music as he drives Rover 2 across
the dunes.
EXT. IRIS 2 PROBE - DAY (STOCK)
The Iris 2 probe separates from its booster rocket.
INT. HERMES FLIGHT DECK - MONTAGE
Martinez takes control of the probe. He pilots it towards
the Hermes...
EXT. HERMES - SPACE - MONTAGE
The probe approaches the Hermes as the docking procedure
begins...
84.
INT. HERMES - AIRLOCK 3 - SPACE - MONTAGE
Beck, geared up in his EVA suit, tethered to the wall, guides
the probe to the docking port.
INT./EXT HERMES - REC ROOM - SPACE - MONTAGE
Johannsen watches anxiously through the window port as Beck
secures the docking.
INT. HERMES - AIRLOCK 3 - SPACE - MONTAGE
Beck, geared up in his EVA suit, tethered to the wall, guides
the probe to the docking port.
EXT. HERMES - SPACE - END MONTAGE
"Let the children lose it, let the children use it, let all
the children boogie..."
The Hermes, rotating once again, soars through space on its
return journey to Mars. It leaves the Earth behind...
And the music slowly FADES OUT.
EXT. MARS
As we hold in silence on the Red Planet, the title takes a
little longer than usual to appear onscreen....
TITLE: SOL 461
MARK (PRELAP)
I've been thinking about laws on Mars...
EXT. HAB - DAY
And it's OVER SIX MONTHS LATER, so a lot has changed.
MARK (PRELAP)
There's an international treaty saying no
country can lay claim to anything that's
not on Earth.
Both Rovers are now hitched together. Pathfinder rides on
top of Rover 1 like Granny Clampett. Rover 2 houses all the
equipment. The whole thing looks like a Gypsy caravan made
of billion dollar NASA equipment.
MARK (PRELAP) (CONT'D)
And by another treaty, if you're not in
any country's territory, maritime law
applies. So Mars is "international
waters."
85.
INT. HAB - DAY
The Hab is similarly transformed. All the major equipment
has been stripped for parts. Sections of the canvas have been
cut down, re-glued, making the tent lopsided in places.
MARK (PRELAP)
NASA is an American non-military
organization, and it owns the Hab. So,
as soon as I step outside, I'm in
international waters.
INT. HAB - DAY
Mark talks directly to camera. The six months have
transformed him as well. He's GAUNT. His hair is longer.
His impressive beard shapes his face.
MARK
Here's the cool part. I leave this
morning for the Schiaparelli crater,
where I will commandeer the Ares 4
lander. Nobody explicitly gave me
permission to do this, and they can't
until I'm aboard the Ares 4. So I will
take control of a craft in international
waters without permission. Which, by
definition, makes me a pirate.
(THEN)
Mark Watney, Space Pirate.
It's better than winning the Nobel Prize.
INT. HAB - DAY
Last day in the Hab. Mark shaves his beard. CUT TO:
Mark organizes the boxes and boxes of experiments he was
keeping alive during his time in the Hab. Among the labels
we see "Das Soil Samples." CUT TO:
Mark pulls on his suit. Performs final shutdown. All the
computers, lights, heaters go DARK. Silence.
EXT. HAB - DAY
Mark depressurizes the Hab. Stares at it for a moment.
Thank you for keeping me alive.
EXT. ROVER - DAY
Mark opens Rover 2. We catch a glimpse inside: it's filled
with frozen potatoes and scavenged equipment.
(CONTINUED)
86.
CONTINUED:
Mark tosses the box of remaining rations inside. We catch a
glimpse of one of the labels: "Goodbye, Mars."
INT. ROVER - DAY
Mark climbs into Rover 1. Powers up the system. Here we go.
EXT. ROVER - DAY
Mark rolls out of the Hab site. Heading towards the horizon.
EXT. MARS - VARIOUS - DAY
MARK (V.O.)
Everywhere I go, I'm the first. It's a
strange feeling.
Mark leaves FOOTPRINTS in the red dirt as he walks.
MARK (V.O.)
Step outside the rover? First guy to be
there. Climb that hill? First guy to do
that.
Mark takes careful note of one of the Martian moons (PHOBOS)
in the sky. Finds his course.
MARK (V.O.)
Four and a half billion years... nobody
here. And now... me.
(THEN)
I'm the first person to be alone on an
entire planet.
EXT. MARS - DAY
Mark sits outside the rover in his MAV suit while he waits
for the solar panels to charge.
He takes in the view. Phobos arcs through the sky.
It's beautiful.
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL - DAY
SATELLITE VIEW: Mark's caravan makes its way around the
impressive Marth Crater.
Mindy watches at her station. Vincent approaches.
VINCENT
How's our boy doing?
(CONTINUED)
87.
CONTINUED:
MINDY
So far, so good. He's sticking to
schedule. Drives for four hours before
noon. Then sets the solar panels. And
waits thirteen hours while they recharge.
Sleeps somewhere in there. Then starts
again.
VINCENT
How's his morale?
MINDY
He's asked us to call him "Captain
Blondebeard."
VINCENT
(thinks about that... huh)
Mars would be governed by maritime law,
so technically --
MINDY
Yeah, he explained it to us.
EXT. MARS - DAY
The ROVER cuts across Mars. No music. Just quiet. Wheels
turning in the rust-colored dirt.
TITLE: SOL 494
The Rover has a max speed of 25 kph, so it's slow going. But
hypnotic. Right now, it's the only thing moving on the
entire planet.
EXT. MARS - DAY
ANGLE MARK. Watching the horizon.
INT. NASA - VINCENT'S OFFICE - DAY
A stack of paperwork drops in front of Vincent. We notice
diagrams for the MAV.
BRUCE
Okay, we're gonna start by stating, for
the record, that you're not gonna like
this.
Vincent starts to look through the plans.
(CONTINUED)
88.
CONTINUED:
MITCH
The problem is the intercept velocity.
The Hermes cannot enter Mars orbit, or
they'll never have enough fuel to make it
home. The MAV is only designed to get to
Low Mars Orbit. So in order for Mark to
escape Mars' gravity entirely and
intercept the Hermes...
VINCENT
He needs to be going fast.
BRUCE
(NODS)
Which means we need to make the MAV
lighter. A lot lighter. Five-thousand
kilograms lighter.
VINCENT
You can do that?
Bruce gives him a look that says, well, that depends on your
definition of "do that," Vincent. He begins to deconstruct a
scale model of the MAV:
BRUCE
There were some gimmes right off the bat.
The design presumes 500 kilograms of
Martian soil and samples. Obviously, we
won't do that.
MITCH
There's just one passenger instead of
six. With suits and gear, that saves
another 500. Then we ditch the life
support. We don't need it. We'll have
Watney use his EVA suit for the whole
trip.
VINCENT
How will he use the controls?
MITCH
He won't. Martinez will pilot the MAV
remotely from the Hermes.
VINCENT
We've never had a manned ship controlled
remotely before.
(off Mitch's look)
But... I'm excited for the opportunities
that affords.
(CONTINUED)
89.
CONTINUED: (2)
BRUCE
If we go remote, we can lose the control
panels. Then we dump the secondary and
tertiary comm systems.
VINCENT
You're going to have a remote controlled
ascent with no backup comms?
MITCH
He's not even to the bad stuff yet,
Vincent.
Really?
VINCENT
You better skip to the bad stuff.
BRUCE
We have to remove the nose airlock, the
windows, and Hull Panel 19.
VINCENT
(what?)
You're taking the front of the ship off?
BRUCE
Sure. The nose airlock alone is 400
kilograms.
VINCENT
You're going to launch a man into space
with a giant hole in the front of the
ship?
BRUCE
Well... no. We're gonna have him cover
it with Hab canvas.
Vincent puts his head in his hands.
BRUCE (CONT'D)
The hull's mostly there to keep the air
in. Mars' atmosphere is so thin you
don't need a lot of streamlining. By the
time the ship's going fast enough for air
resistance to matter, it'll be high
enough that there's practically no air.
VINCENT
You're sending him to space under a tarp.
BRUCE
Yes. Can I go on?
(CONTINUED)
90.
CONTINUED: (3)
VINCENT
(THINKS GENUINELY)
I'm not really sure I want you to, but
okay.
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL - DAY
Mindy reads Mark's response while the group awaits. Mitch
looks on from his station.
MINDY
Mark says... "Are you f-word-ing kidding
me?"
VINCENT
Do you think he meant it like...
(EXCITED)
"Are you kidding me?" Or more...
(ANGRY)
"Are you kidding me?"
MINDY
(doesn't want to hurt
VINCENT'S FEELINGS)
It's... possible he meant it the first
way?
INT. ROVER - ARES 4 MAV SITE - DAY
TITLE: SOL 538
Mark stares at the camera with a look that says, "Oh jesus
these JPL guys are gonna get me killed."
MARK
(DISTRAUGHT)
I know what they're doing. I know what
they're doing. They keep repeating
"accelerate faster than any man in the
history of space travel" like this is a
good thing, like this'll distract me from
how insane their plan is. Oh really? I
get to be the fastest man in the history
of space travel? You're launching me
into space in a convertible. No no, it's
worse, because I don't have any controls.
You're launching me into space in a tin
can. And, by the way, physicists don't
even use words like "fast" when
describing acceleration, so they're only
doing it in hopes I won't raise any
objections because I like the way
"fastest man in the history of space
travel" sounds. Well, you know what?
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
91.
CONTINUED:
MARK (CONT'D)
(thinks about it)
I do like it. I do like the way it
sounds.
(THEN)
Okay, fine. Let's do this.
MUSIC UP: "Waterloo" by ABBA begins to play...
EXT. MAV - DAY
Mark stands at the base of the MAV. He holds a large wrench
in his hand, almost like a weapon.
As Mark stares up at the MAV with a gleam in his eyes...
"My my at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender..."
INT. MAV - DAY
Mark tears the acceleration chairs out of the cockpit.
EXT. MAV - DAY
WHUMP. One after another, the acceleration chairs hit the
dirt in a pile. WHUMP.
INT. MAV - DAY
Mark tears out the control panels. He's having fun.
EXT. MAV - DAY
WHUMP. The controls hit the dirt. The pile is growing.
MUSIC UP: "Waterloo" by ABBA begins to play...
INT. HERMES FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
Martinez runs through a flight simulation at his station.
It's not going well. "Collision with Terrain" blinks in
angry red letters on his screen.
JOHANSSEN
And... you killed him.
Lewis shrugs. The taskmaster.
LEWIS
Try it again.
Martinez reboots the simulator...
92.
INT. MAV COCKPIT - DAY
Mark waits in the airlock with a mess of stripped equipment.
EXT. MAV - DAY
The outside of the MAV now looks like the set of Sanford and
Son. Mark wrenches one of the MAV's hull panels free.
EXT. MAV - DAY
UP ABOVE: The nose airlock breaks free, and tumbles down
towards camera, BLACKING OUT FRAME.
EXT. MAV - DUSK
FROM BLACK, we FIND MARK. He's sitting on a hill slope,
surveying his handiwork.
The MAV has been TRANSFORMED. The whole front has been torn
off. Hab canvas now covers it. Equipment litters the area
all around us. Junkyard on Mars.
"Finally facing my Waterloo..."
Mark just sits. Exhausted.
The music FADES.
EXT. HERMES - SPACE
The Hermes halts rotation as it approaches Mars.
TITLE: SOL 560
LEWIS(PRELAP)
Here's the plan...
INT. HERMES REC ROOM - SPACE
The whole crew is present for the state of the union.
LEWIS
Martinez will fly the MAV. Johanssen
will sysop the ascent. Beck and Vogel, I
want you in Airlock 2 with the outer door
open before the MAV even launches. Once
we reach intercept, it'll be Beck's job
to get Watney.
(CONTINUED)
93.
CONTINUED:
BECK
He might be in bad shape. The stripped
down MAV will get up to 12 g's during the
launch. He could be knocked unconscious
and may have internal bleeding.
LEWIS
Well, then it's a good thing you're our
doctor. What's the intercept plan?
BECK
We finished attaching the tethers into
one long line. It's 214 meters long.
I'll have the MMU, so moving around
should be easy.
LEWIS
How fast a relative velocity can you
handle?
BECK
Once I get to Mark? I can grab the MAV
at 5 meters per second. 10 is like
jumping onto a moving train. Any more
than that and I might miss.
LEWIS
We've got some leeway. The launch will
be 52 minutes before the intercept and it
takes 12 minutes. As soon as Mark's
engine cuts out we'll know our intercept
point and velocity.
BECK
Good. And 214 meters isn't a hard limit,
per se.
LEWIS
Yes. It is.
BECK
I take off the tether, I could get way
out to --
LEWIS
Not an option. Vogel, you're Beck's
backup. All goes well, you're pulling
them back aboard with the tether. If
things go wrong, you're going out after
them.
VOGEL
Ja.
(CONTINUED)
94.
CONTINUED: (2)
LEWIS
All right. Let's go get our boy.
INT. POP UP TENT - DAY
Mark sits inside the makeshift pressurized tent. He tears
open his last remaining ration pack:
"Goodbye, Mars"
He eats in silence.
TITLE: SOL 561
EXT. NASA - NIGHT
It's a mob scene at NASA. Networks from all across the globe
have sent teams to cover the event. Campers, crews, and
chaos all around as everyone fights for real estate in the
biggest story of the century.
EXT. TIMES SQUARE - NIGHT
New-Years-Eve-Level crowds gather in Times Square. On the
Jumbotron, news reports announce the "Watney Rescue."
INT. MISSION CONTROL - NIGHT
Teddy, Vincent, and Annie watch from an observation area.
ANNIE
If something goes wrong, what can Mission
Control do?
VINCENT
Not a damned thing.
(off her look)
It's all happening twelve light-minutes
away. That means it takes twenty-four
minutes for them to get the answer to any
question they ask. The whole launch is
twelve minutes long. They're on their
own.
ANNIE
Not that we have a choice, but... are we
sure we want to be broadcasting this to
the world? I mean, if something goes
WRONG --
VINCENT
(cutting her off)
Yes.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
95.
CONTINUED:
VINCENT (CONT'D)
(RESOLUTE)
We want to be broadcasting this.
Mitch takes his position as Johanssen's VOICE rings out:
JOHANSSEN (OVER COMMS)
Fuel Pressure green.
EXT. STREETS - BEIJING - DAY
Crowds watch the screens in Beijing as Johanssen's voice
RINGS OUT:
JOHANSSEN (OVER COMMS)
Engine alignment perfect...
EXT. ST. PETERSBERG - DAY
The cold is not keeping the crowds from watching the screens
in the Palace Square.
JOHANSSEN (OVER COMMS)
Communications five by five...
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
Lewis nods. She's been waiting for this moment for some
time. Keys the console --
LEWIS
About two minutes, Watney. How you doing
down there?
INT. MAV - COCKPIT - DAY
Mark tries to keep his emotions under control as he waits in
the cockpit...
MARK
It's good to hear your voice, Commander.
I'm eager to get up to you.
He fails. His voice breaks.
MARK (CONT'D)
Thank you for coming back for me.
INT. HERMES FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
LEWIS
We're on the case. Remember, you'll be
pulling some pretty heavy G's. It's okay
to pass out. You're in Martinez' hands.
(CONTINUED)
96.
CONTINUED:
MARK
Tell that asshole no barrel-rolls.
LEWIS
Copy that, MAV. CAPCOM...
CLOSE ON JOHANSSEN, at her station.
JOHANSSEN
Go.
LEWIS
Remote Command...
CLOSE ON MARTINEZ, grinning in anticipation.
MARTINEZ
Go.
LEWIS
Recovery...
INT. HERMES - AIRLOCK 2 - SPACE
CLOSE ON BECK as he floats in the open airlock. Beneath him,
the Red Planet blazes in all its brilliance.
BECK
Go.
LEWIS (OVER COMMS)
Secondary recovery...
CLOSE ON VOGEL, clamped to the floor behind Beck.
VOGEL
Go.
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
CLOSE ON LEWIS:
LEWIS
Pilot...
And finally...
INT. MAV - COCKPIT - DAY
CLOSE ON MARK WATNEY, in his EVA suit, strapped into his
acceleration seat.
MARK
Go.
97.
EXT. VARIOUS - DAY/NIGHT
ALL AROUND THE WORLD -- the CROWDS ERUPT IN CHEERS as they
hear Mark's voice.
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL - NIGHT
LEWIS (OVER COMMS)
Mission control, this is Hermes actual.
We are go for launch, and will proceed on
schedule. 10 seconds to launch... mark.
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
MARTINEZ
Main engines start.
JOHANSSEN
8... 7... mooring clamps released...
LEWIS
About five seconds, Watney. Hang on.
INT. MAV - DAY
Mark tenses in anticipation.
MARK
See you in a few, Commander.
JOHANSSEN (OVER COMMS)
4... 3... 2... 1...
LIFTOFF.
Mark is SLAMMED back into his acceleration couch --
EXT. LAUNCHSITE - DAY
SFX: the MAV launches upward with incredible force. And yes,
as discussed, in the history of space travel, no manned ship
has ever accelerated with more force.
INT. MAV - DAY
Mark can't even GASP -- the wind knocked out of him -- He
struggles to remain conscious as the ship shakes VIOLENTLY --
MARK'S POV: staring forward, at the HAB CANVAS (which now
patches where the nosecone used to be.)
As the ship accelerates, the canvas begins to RIP --
98.
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
JOHANSSEN
Velocity 741 meters per second. Altitude
1350 meters...
LEWIS
That's too low --
MARTINEZ
I know. It's fighting me --
JOHANSSEN
Velocity 850, altitude 1843 --
LEWIS
Watney? Watney, do you read? Can you
report?
INT. MAV - DAY
But Mark's barely conscious -- his eyes drifting from
terrified to serene as he fades --
HIS POV -- the canvas RIPS FREE....
Revealing the RED ATMOSPHERE of Mars. And as it thins -- as
we rocket towards the heavens -- the red gives way to the
black...
And the last thing Mark sees before he drops unconscious --
Are the STARS.
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
JOHANSSEN
He's well below target altitude.
LEWIS
How far below?
JOHANSSEN
Working on it -- Main shutdown in 3...
2... 1... Shutdown.
MARTINEZ
Back to automatic guidance. Confirm
shutdown.
LEWIS
Watney? Do you read?
(CONTINUED)
99.
CONTINUED:
BECK (OVER COMMS)
He's probably passed out. He pulled 12
G's on the ascent. Give him a few
minutes.
LEWIS
Copy.
JOHANSSEN
I have interval pings. Intercept
velocity will be 11 meters per second...
BECK (OVER COMMS)
I can make that work.
JOHANSSEN
Distance at intercept will be --
(GOES PALE)
We'll be 68 kilometers apart.
INT. HERMES - AIRLOCK 2 - SPACE
BECK
Did she say 68 kilometers? Kilometers?
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
MARTINEZ
Oh my god...
LEWIS
Keep it together. Work the problem.
Martinez, do we have any juice in the
MAV?
MARTINEZ
Negative, Commander. They ditched the
OMS system to make launch weight.
LEWIS
Then we have to go him. Johanssen, time
to intercept?
JOHANSSEN
39 minutes, 12 seconds --
LEWIS
What if we point our attitude thrusters
all the same direction?
MARTINEZ
Depends on how much fuel we want to save
for attitude adjustments on the trip
home.
(CONTINUED)
100.
CONTINUED:
LEWIS
How much do you need?
MARTINEZ
I could get by with maybe 20 percent of
what's left.
LEWIS
JOHANSSEN --
JOHANSSEN
(already working it)
Use 75.5 percent of remaining attitude
adjust fuel. That'll bring the intercept
range to zero.
LEWIS
Do it.
JOHANSSEN
Hang on -- that gets the range to zero,
but the intercept velocity will be 42
meters per second --
LEWIS
Then we have 39 minutes to figure out how
to slow down. Martinez, burn the jets.
EXT. HERMES - SPACE
WHOOSH. The attitude thrusters FIRE. The Hermes changes
COURSE --
INT. MAV - DAY
CLOSE ON MARK as his eyelids flutter. He winces in pain as
he slowly regains consciousness.
BENEATH HIM -- the orbiting MAV offers an unobstructed view
of Mars. The great red planet's horizon stretches out
forever as the wispy atmosphere gives it a fuzzy edge.
It's breathtaking. Awe-inspiring.
Mark holds up his middle finger. Fuck you, Mars.
MARK
MAV to Hermes --
LEWIS (OVER COMMS)
Watney?!
MARK
Affirmative, Commander.
(CONTINUED)
101.
CONTINUED:
LEWIS (OVER COMMS)
What's your status?
MARK
My chest hurts. I think I broke some
ribs.
(THEN)
How are you?
LEWIS (OVER COMMS)
We're working on getting you. There was
a complication during launch.
MARK
Yeah. The canvas didn't hold...
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
MARK (OVER COMMS)
I think it ripped early in the ascent.
LEWIS
That's consistent with what we saw.
MARK (OVER COMMS)
How bad is it, Commander?
LEWIS
We've corrected the intercept range, but
we've got a problem with the intercept
velocity.
MARK (OVER COMMS)
How big a problem?
LEWIS
42 meters per second.
INT. MAV - DAY
We're CLOSE ON MARK as that news lands.
MARK
Well. Shit.
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
Everyone struggles to find a solution. Mark's voice
interrupts the silence:
MARK (OVER COMMS)
Commander?
102.
INT. MAV - DAY
LEWIS (OVER COMMS)
Go ahead, Mark.
MARK
I could find something sharp in here and
poke a hole in the glove of my EVA suit.
I could use the escaping air as a
thruster and fly my way to you. Since
the source is on my arm, I could direct
it pretty easy.
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
LEWIS
I can't see you having any control if you
did that. You'd be eyeballing the
intercept and using a thrust vector you
can barely control.
MARK (OVER COMMS)
Those are very good points. But.
CONSIDER THIS:
INT. MAV - DAY
MARK
I would get to fly around like Iron Man.
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
LEWIS
We should have left him on Mars.
MARK (OVER COMMS)
Iron Man, Commander. Iron Man.
Lewis rubs her face. Thinks. Hmm...
LEWIS
Maybe it's not the worst idea.
MARTINEZ
No, it actually is. The worst idea.
Ever.
LEWIS
Not his part. But using atmosphere as
thrust...
(springs into action)
Martinez, get Vogel's station up and
running...
(CONTINUED)
103.
CONTINUED:
MARTINEZ
It's up. What do you need?
LEWIS
I need to know what happens if we blow
the VAL.
Both Martinez and Johanssen straighten up. What?
MARTINEZ
You want to open the Vehicular Airlock?
LEWIS
It would give us a good kick.
MARTINEZ
Yeah. And it might blow the nose of the
ship off in the process.
JOHANSSEN
And... all the air would leave. And we
need air. To not die.
LEWIS
We'll seal the bridge and reactor room.
We let everywhere else go vacuo.
MARTINEZ
But we'd still have the same problem as
Watney. We can't direct the thrust.
LEWIS
We don't have to. The VAL is in the
nose. We just point the ship at Mark.
MARTINEZ
(reading the numbers)
A breach at the VAL would decelerate us
29 meters per second.
JOHANSSEN
Which gives us a relative velocity of 13
meters per second.
LEWIS
Beck -- you hearing this?
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
MARTINEZ
How do we open the airlock doors?
There's no way to open them remotely, and
if anyone's nearby when it blows...
(CONTINUED)
104.
CONTINUED:
LEWIS
Right... right...
(THINKS)
Vogel?
VOGEL (OVER COMMS)
Go ahead, Commander.
LEWIS
Take your suit off.
(THEN)
I need you to come back in and make a
bomb.
INT. MAV - DAY
MARK
Did you say "bomb?" You guys are making
a bomb without me?
INT. HERMES - AIRLOCK 2 - SPACE
VOGEL
Um... Again, please, Commander.
LEWIS (OVER COMMS)
You're the chemist. Can you make a bomb
with what we've got on board?
VOGEL
Probably. But... I feel obliged to
mention that setting off an explosive
device on a spacecraft is a terrible,
terrible idea.
LEWIS (OVER COMMS)
Copy that. Can you do it?
VOGEL
(THINKS; THEN)
Ja.
INT. MISSION CONTROL - NIGHT
Lewis' voice rings out through the room:
LEWIS (OVER COMMS)
Houston, be advised: we are going to
deliberately breach the VAL to produce
thrust.
CHAOS erupts at Mission Control. WHAT DID SHE JUST SAY?
105.
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
LEWIS
Beck -- leave your suit on. Meet
Johanssen at Airlock 1. We'll open the
outer door. I need you to place the
charge on the inner door...
INT. HERMES - AIRLOCK 2 - SPACE
LEWIS (OVER COMMS)
...and climb back to Airlock 2 along the
hull.
BECK
Copy. On my way.
INT. HERMES/MAV - SPACE - INTERCUT
Mark RIPS free a jagged edge of metal scrap from what used to
be the console.
MARK
Commander, I can't let you guys do this.
I'm ready to puncture the suit. Let's go
with the Iron Man plan.
LEWIS
Absolutely not.
MARK
The thing is, I'm selfish. And I want
the memorials back home to be just me. I
don't want the rest of you losers in
them.
(EARNEST)
Commander... call it off.
LEWIS
Oh. Okay. Well, if you want us to call
it off, then I guess we have to oh
wait... wait a minute. Yep. I'm looking
at my shoulder patch and it turns out I'm
Commander. So shut up.
MARK
(MUTTERS)
Smart ass.
INT. HERMES REC ROOM - SPACE
Vogel works fast. He pours SUGAR into a strong glass beaker.
Drills a hole in the stopper as Johanssen enters --
(CONTINUED)
106.
CONTINUED:
JOHANSSEN
Bomb?
VOGEL
(NODS)
Bomb. In a pure oxygen environment, 16.7
million Joules will be released for every
kilogram of sugar used. Eight times more
powerful than a stick of dynamite.
He pours LIQUID OXYGEN into the beaker.
JOHANSSEN
How do we activate it?
Vogel strips electrical wires, threads them into the stopper.
VOGEL
Can you run this to one of our lighting
panels?
Johanssen grins.
INT. HERMES - VAL (AIRLOCK 1) - SPACE
Beck (in his spacesuit) enters the Vehicular Airlock as
Johanssen is ripping wires out of the lighting panel and
threading them into the bomb.
JOHANSSEN
Make sure you're not still here when this
goes off.
He takes the bomb from her.
JOHANSSEN (CONT'D)
WAIT --
They share a look.
JOHANSSEN (CONT'D)
Be careful. Out in space.
Johanssen kisses his face plate.
JOHANSSEN (CONT'D)
Don't tell anyone I did that.
Beck smiles. Closes the (inner) Airlock door behind her.
107.
INT/EXT. HERMES - VAL (AIRLOCK 1) - SPACE
As the OUTER DOOR opens, revealing SPACE, Beck finishes
securing the improvised bomb to the inner door.
BECK
Bomb is set. On my way.
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
As Johanssen races back to her post, Martinez works quickly
at his station.
MARTINEZ
Guys, I'm running the numbers -- even
with optimal VAL blow, we're gonna be off
on our angle.
LEWIS
What's the new intercept distance?
(IMPATIENT)
Johanssen.
JOHANSSEN
260 meters. Approximate.
LEWIS
That's too far...
She thinks for a moment. Then she races off the flight deck.
MARTINEZ
Commander?
EXT. HERMES - SPACE
Beck climbs out of Airlock 1, and makes his way along the
hull of Hermes, using the handholds. We FOLLOW HIM as he
traverses the ship, and as he makes his way into Airlock 2...
INT. HERMES - AIRLOCK 2 - SPACE
...he finds LEWIS, fully suited up, waiting for him.
LEWIS
The intercept distance is gonna be too
far. I'm going untethered.
BECK
Commander, I can do this --
LEWIS
It's not a debate, Beck. I'm not risking
another crew member.
(CONTINUED)
108.
CONTINUED:
Beck sees there's no arguing with her.
LEWIS (CONT'D)
Johanssen, time to VAL blow?
JOHANSSEN (OVER COMMS)
15 seconds...
LEWIS
We sure know how to cut it close.
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
Vogel rushes into the flight deck.
JOHANSSEN
10 seconds...
MARTINEZ
Strap in.
They tighten the restraints on their chairs.
JOHANSSEN
5... 4... 3...
LEWIS
Brace for deceleration.
JOHANSSEN
2... 1... Activating Panel 41.
She presses ENTER.
INT. HERMES - VAL (AIRLOCK 1) - SPACE
We're CLOSE ON THE BOMB as the current hits it...
KA-BOOOM! The EXPLOSION RIPS THE AIRLOCK DOOR TO SHREDS --
As the Hermes decelerates, Lewis and Beck are SLAMMED up
against the wall --
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
Martinez, Vogel, and Johanssen endure the deceleration in
their chairs. After four seconds, the ship stabilizes --
JOHANSSEN
Bridge seal holding.
MARTINEZ
Damage?
(CONTINUED)
109.
CONTINUED:
LEWIS (OVER COMMS)
Worry about that later... What's our
relative velocity?
INT. HERMES - AIRLOCK 2 - SPACE
JOHANSSEN (OVER COMMS)
12 meters per second.
LEWIS
Copy.
And with that, Commander Lewis places her feet against the
back wall for leverage...
AND JUMPS.
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
LEWIS (OVER COMMS)
What's our intercept range?
Johanssen stares at the calculations. That can't be right...
JOHANSSEN
312 meters.
INT. MAV - DAY
Mark hears the news. Oh SHIT.
MARK
You said 312? Great. I'll wave at you
guys as I go by.
LEWIS (OVER COMMS)
I have visual on the MAV --
EXT. HERMES - SPACE
Lewis sails clear of the ship, controlling her movements with
her MMU. We SPOT the rotating MAV way off in the distance --
LEWIS
Mark -- you're still WAY TOO FAR -- I'm
not gonna make it --
INT. MAV - DAY
Mark hears the news. Steels himself.
(CONTINUED)
110.
CONTINUED:
MARK
Commander. Seriously.
(THEN)
I got this.
Mark unclips his harness. Slams his makeshift knife into his
suit. WHOOSH -- the air shoots out through the puncture --
EXT. MAV - DAY
And we're OUTSIDE THE MAV -- as it tumbles away from us --
Mark Watney soars out of the ship.
MARK
(having the time of his
LIFE)
I have visual on the Commander.
AHEAD IN THE DISTANCE -- there's Lewis. Mark tries to adjust
course as they rocket towards each other.
LEWIS
Johanssen -- what's my relative velocity
to Mark?
And as our SCORE begins to BUILD...
INT. HERMES - FLIGHT DECK - SPACE
ANGLE JOHANSSEN -- knuckles white as she types --
JOHANSSEN
5.2 meters per second...
ANGLE MARTINEZ -- on the edge of his seat --
LEWIS (OVER COMMS)
Copy. Adjusting course --
ANGLE VOGEL -- heart in his throat --
JOHANSSEN
3.1 meters per second...
INT. HERMES - AIRLOCK 2 - SPACE
ANGLE BECK -- watching the two figures rocket towards each
other below --
JOHANSSEN (OVER COMMS)
Distance to target -- 24 meters --
111.
EXT. HERMES - SPACE
ANGLE LEWIS -- as she counter-thrusts, fires her MMU. Trying
to slow as Mark approaches --
JOHANSSEN (OVER COMMS)
11 meters to target...
And finally...
EXT. SPACE
ANGLE MARK. As he cuts through space. Free as the
proverbial bird. The Red Planet silhouetted behind him as he
leaves it behind, once and for all.
As the score SWELLS to CRESCENDO, these two astronauts soar
towards one another, arms outstretched...
JOHANSSEN (OVER COMMS)
6 meters to target...
JUST AS THEY REACH EACH OTHER --
MARK
Contact.
EXT. SPACE - DAY
Mark and Lewis float together, holding tight to one another.
CLOSE ON MARK. As he stares at Lewis. The first human he
has seen in ages. He smiles.
MARK
You have terrible taste in music.
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL - NIGHT
Everyone leaps up as Lewis' voice rings out through mission
CONTROL --
LEWIS (OVER COMMS)
I got him.
They ERUPT into CHEERS --
EXT. ST. PETERSBERG - DAY
-- and the CHEERS explode through RUSSIA...
112.
EXT. TIMES SQUARE - NIGHT
...and NEW YORK as news reports break the story of Mark's
rescue on the big screens.
EXT. BEIJING - DAY
...and CHINA...
EXT./INT. AIRLOCK - DAY
LEWIS guides MARK towards the airlock with her MMU.
LEWIS (INTO COMMS)
Beck, prep the sick bay. We're bringing
him to you. Everyone else, meet me in
Airlock Two.
MARTINEZ, JOHANSSEN, and VOGEL race down from the bridge to
meet them. They're not in suits -- they have to wait for the
outer airlock to close. THROUGH THE OBSERVATION WINDOWS:
they see Lewis and Mark touch down in the airlock.
The outer airlock closes -- WHOOSH -- Mark collapses,
exhausted. The inner airlock opens. Martinez, Johanssen,
and Vogel race into the room, grab Mark. Supporting him.
Holding him.
MARK
Hi guys.
Everyone fighting back tears.
JOHANSSEN
Oh, hey Mark. Haven't seen you in a
while.
MARTINEZ
Yeah. What've you been up to?
MARK
Oh. You know. Same old, same old.
Click. They help him with his helmet. As they pull it off,
everyone is suddenly taken aback. Oh my god...
VOGEL
You smell horrible.
MARK
I haven't showered in a year and a half.
Cut me some slack.
Johanssen's eyes are watering. Good lord, he smells bad.
(CONTINUED)
113.
CONTINUED:
JOHANSSEN
You don't know what you're asking us
here.
MARTINEZ
Yeah, captain, we may need to put him
back.
MARK
I missed you guys.
They hold each another.
EXT. EARTH - TO ESTABLISH
Home. It's never looked more warm and welcoming.
EXT. PARK - JOHNSON SPACE CENTER - DAY
A man sits by himself on a bench.
ANGLE to reveal it's MARK WATNEY. Basking in the warmth of a
beautiful day.
TITLE: DAY 1
INT. NASA - TEACHING THEATER - DAY
The young, fresh-faced recruits in NASA's Astronaut Candidate
Program are abuzz as Mark enters the room. The students
nudge each other -- Look, there he is.
By the time Mark reaches the lectern at the front, he has the
full attention of the class.
MARK
Welcome to the Astronaut Candidate
Program. Pay attention. This could save
your life.
(THEN)
Trust me, I know what I'm talking about.
The class laughs.
MARK (CONT'D)
Okay, let's see if I can get some of your
questions out of the way up front. Yes,
I did, indeed, survive on a deserted
planet by farming in my own shit. It was
even more disgusting than it sounds.
Let's never speak of it again.
More laughter. Mark lets it subside.
(CONTINUED)
114.
CONTINUED:
MARK (CONT'D)
Question Two: "When you were stranded and
alone up there... did you think you were
gonna die?"
And there's a pause as Mark thinks about it. The rare moment
of reflection for our hero.
He nods. Genuine:
MARK (CONT'D)
Yes.
Then...
MARK (CONT'D)
And it'll happen to you, too. You should
know that going in. It's space. It's
filled with chance, circumstance, and bad
luck. It doesn't cooperate. At some
point, I promise, at some point every
single thing is gonna go south on you,
and you'll think: this is it. This is
how I end.
(THEN)
And you can either accept that... or you
can get to work.
He lets those words land.
MARK (CONT'D)
That's all it is. You simply begin.
Solve one problem. Then the next one,
then the next.
(THEN)
You solve enough problems... and you get
to come home.
Mark opens his notebook.
MARK (CONT'D)
All right. Questions?
Every hand in the class shoots into the air.
MUSIC UP: "LOVE TRAIN" by The O'Jays carries us to...
EXT. LAUNCHPAD - DAY
A SPACECRAFT is readied for launch.
(CONTINUED)
115.
CONTINUED:
ANNIE (PRELAP)
...as soon as Mission Control finishes
their pre-flight checks, we will begin
launch procedures...
INT. NASA - PRESS ROOM - DAY
ANNIE MONTROSE stands at her place at the podium. Annie's a
little older, a little wiser, but can still command a room.
ANNIE
The Ares 5 team will rendezvous with the
Hermes approximately 48 minutes after
launch. From there, they've got 414 days
of space travel ahead of them, arriving
at Mars on March 30th. And I'll let the
Director of Mars Missions, Vincent
Kapoor, brief you on the particulars.
VINCENT steps to the podium. He's calm. At ease. Much
better on television than we've ever seen him.
VINCENT
Good morning. Their mission is scheduled
for 41 Sols. Your briefs detail the
research and experiment schedules...
And the MUSIC CONTINUES THROUGHOUT as...
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL
The room is ABUZZ WITH ACTIVITY as they prepare for launch.
MINDY PARK takes her place at her STATION. She's moved up in
the world, now bears the title of:
MINDY
Flight, CAPCOM. Ready to begin preflight
check.
BRENDAN HATCH takes his place as the new FLIGHT DIRECTOR.
BRENDAN
Go ahead, CAPCOM.
UP ABOVE: In the VIEWING ROOM... TEDDY SANDERS watches the
activity from his solitary seat. He has his GREEN FOLDER at
the ready beside him.
EXT. JPL - MORNING
A DEER trots through JPL grounds... it's still early yet at
the Jet Propulsion Labs in Pasadena....
(CONTINUED)
116.
CONTINUED:
But BRUCE NG is awake. And he still looks as exhausted and
rumpled as ever. But he's in a good mood. He eats breakfast
with his team outside as they watch the news reports
detailing the "ARES 5 LAUNCH."
Bruce and his team laugh, make jokes with each other. One of
them tosses food to the deer.
INT. SUBURBAN HOUSE - DAY
"People all over the world, join in..."
Five BEAUTIFUL BLONDE CHILDREN race through the house,
wearing NASA t-shirts and jumpsuits -- we get the sense this
is the Superbowl for this family.
ALEX VOGEL grabs his youngest daughters as they race past.
He scoops them up in his arms. They laugh and laugh.
INT. SPACECRAFT - DAY
The Ares 5 astronauts secure themselves into their
acceleration chairs. We settle on one astronaut:
WEN JIANG. The first Chinese national to go to Mars.
CAPCOM (OVER COMMS)
Guidance.
WEN
Go.
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL
ZHU TAO and GUO MING stand at the back of the room, listening
with pride as Wen runs through his check. A historic moment
for their country.
EXT. PARK - MORNING
MITCH HENDERSON watches his grandson run around the park. We
get the sense (the forced) retirement is treating him well.
INT. HOSPITAL - DAY
"Let this train keep on riding, riding on through..."
CHRIS BECK accepts a bouquet of flowers from a nurse. Sets
them down next to the others as he checks on...
His wife. BETH JOHANSSEN. Who's holding THEIR NEWBORN BABY
GIRL in her arms.
Beck climbs into the hospital bed next to them.
117.
INT. SPACECRAFT - DAY
As we hear the TIMER CONTROLLER initiate the COUNTDOWN...
TIMER CONTROLLER (OVER COMMS)
10... 9... 8...
We settle on the final member of the ARES 5 team:
RICK MARTINEZ. He grins as he feels that all-too-familiar
surge of adrenaline. Here we go again...
INT. HOUSE - DAY
We're MOVING DOWN THE HALLWAY of a quaint house. On the
WALLS: vintage albums and posters...
Donna Summer's LAST DANCE on 7"... C'est Chic... A framed
top that looks like something Gloria Gaynor wore...
TIMER CONTROLLER (OVER COMMS)
7... 6...
And mixed in among the glittery paraphernalia:
The NASA Distinguished Service Medal... The Congressional
Medal of Honor...
MELISSA LEWIS is glued to the television. She doesn't look
up as her husband brings her a cup of tea.
She's with the crew in this moment. Her husband doesn't take
offense. He gives her a loving pat and exits.
TIMER CONTROLLER (OVER COMMS) (CONT'D)
5... 4...
INT. NASA - MISSION CONTROL
"People all over the world, `round the world y'all, join
hands..."
WIDE ON THE WHOLE ROOM as the team stares back at us in eager
anticipation.
TIMER CONTROLLER (OVER COMMS)
3... 2... 1...
Launch.
The crowd erupts into cheers. They reach for one another.
We drift up to find...
118.
EXT. SPACE
Earth. Blue and beautiful.
Home.
FADE OUT.
THE END
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