Taglines: In the farthest reaches of space, something has gone terribly wrong.
Supernova chronicles the search and rescue patrol of a medical ship in deep space in the early 22nd century and its six-member crew which includes a Captain and Pilot, a co-pilot, a medical officer, a medical technician, a search and rescue paramedic, and a computer technician. When their vessel, the Nightingale 229, answers an emergency distress signal from a comet mining operation in a distant galaxy, the crew soon finds itself in danger from the mysterious young man they rescue, the alien artifact he’s smuggled aboard, and the gravitational pull of a giant star about to supernova. The resulting explosion will be the most massive explosion in the universe.
Supernova is a 2000 Swiss-American science fiction horror film written by David C. Wilson, William Malone and Daniel Chuba and directed by Walter Hill, credited as “Thomas Lee.” “Thomas Lee” was chosen as a directorial pseudonym for release, as the name Alan Smithee had become too well known as a badge of a film being disowned by its makers.
It was originally developed in 1988 by director William Malone as “Dead Star,” with paintings by H. R. Giger and a plot that had been called “Hellraiser in outer space.” Jack Sholder was hired for substantial uncredited reshoots, and Francis Ford Coppola was brought in for editing purposes. Various sources suggest that little of Hill’s work remains in the theatrical cut of the film.
The film shares several plot similarities with the film Event Horizon, released in 1997, and Alien Cargo, released in 1999. The cast featured James Spader, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Lou Diamond Phillips, Peter Facinelli, Robin Tunney, and Wilson Cruz. This film was shot by cinematographer Lloyd Ahern and scored by composers David C. Williams and Burkhard Dallwitz.
Before its release, MGM predicted that the film would not perform well at the box office. The film made $5.8 million in its opening weekend, ranking #8; by the end of its run, the film grossed only $14.2 million in North America and $598,000 in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $14.8 million. Against a budget of $90 million, the film was a box office bomb, with an estimated loss of $83 million.
Shooting began in April 1998. Director Walter Hill says the budget of the film was cut halfway through production. Special-effects house Digital Domain was once considering a production partnership with MGM. Under such a deal, the special effects would be delivered below market rates, since Digital, as a part owner of some MGM movies, would have an incentive to keep costs down. However, this partnership fell through and the production had to pay for “the full spa treatment,” according to producer Daniel Chubas.
MGM had to scrap about half of the planned effects shots. A weightless sex scene between Robin Tunney and Peter Facinelli was shot in seats mounted on a rotating pole that was digitally removed in postproduction. The script also involved a cutting-edge robot — remotely operated by someone’s manipulating gloves — that performs long-distance medical examinations. This became an actor dressed as an android. Finally, a sequence where Spader rescued someone inside a bubble of zero-gravity water was never filmed.
After principal photography was finished in July 1998, Walter Hill spend a total of 24 weeks editing his director’s cut of the movie which still didn’t have all the special effects scenes added into it. MGM decided to screen the movie to a test audience. Hill told them that the screening would be a complete disaster because the movie was still not finished, and because he wanted to shoot some more footage. MGM refused, saying the additional footage would cost another $1.5 million. Hill would not return to work until Mancuso met with him, and Mancuso would not meet with Hill until the director returned to work.
Supernova (2000)
Directed by: Walter Hill
Starring: James Spader, Angela Bassett, Robert Forster, Lou Diamond Phillips, Peter Facinelli, Robin Tunney, Wilson Cruz, Vanessa Marshall, Kerrigan Mahan
Screenplay by: Ash R. Shaw, Daniel Chuba, Jamie Dixon
Production Design by: Marek Dobrowolski
Cinematography by: Lloyd Ahern
Film Editing by: Michael Schweiter, Melissa Kent, Francis Ford Coppola, Freeman A. Davies
Costume Design by: Bob Ringwood
Set Decoration by: Nancy Nye
Art Direction by: Bruce Robert Hill
Music by: David C. Williams
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sci-fi action violence and sensuality / nudity.
Distributed by: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Date: January 14, 2000
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