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'The Martian' trailer: Matt Damon stars in what could be the next sci-fi hit

Matt Damon stars in 'The Martian' as an astronaut who is accidentally abandoned on Mars and must survive until he receives aid. The movie is based on the bestselling book of the same name by Andy Weir.

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(Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)
Actor Matt Damon speaks during a question and answer session about NASA’s journey to Mars and the film "The Martian," Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015, at the United Artists Theater in La Canada Flintridge, Calif. The movie, based on the book by Andy Weir, gives a realistic view of the climate and topography of Mars. NASA scientists and engineers served as technical consultants on the film.

A new trailer has been released for the upcoming science fiction film “The Martian.”

“The Martian” stars Matt Damon as Mark Watney, an astronaut left behind on Mars by his crew, who are convinced he's dead. He must try to contact NASA and remain alive until he gets help.

The movie is based on the bestselling book of the same name by Andy Weir and is directed by sci-fi legend Ridley Scott, who also helmed such movies as “Blade Runner” and “Alien.”

The new trailer shows Mark attempting to survive in a difficult climate and also offers glimpses of the movie’s star-studded cast, which includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kate Mara, Jessica Chastain, Sean Bean, Jeff Daniels, Donald Glover, Michael Peña, and Kristen Wiig. (Those who check out the trailer above should be aware of brief language.)

The movie is set for release this October and continues the trend of studios releasing big-budget science fiction films in the fall. The probable reason for this? Look no further than “Gravity,” the 2013 film starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney about astronauts stranded in space that became a frontrunner for the Best Picture Oscar prize and the sixth-highest-grossing movie of the year domestically. 

A fall release date worked for another sci-fi movie last year, too. “Interstellar,” which opened in November and centered on a desperate hunt for another habitable planet, became the 16th-highest-grossing film of the year. “Interstellar” also benefited from having director Christopher Nolan’s name attached to it (in addition to the box office performance of his “Dark Knight” trilogy, he’s proven he can bring in audiences for original stories such as “Inception”), and the movie performed solidly against such competition as the animated Disney movie “Big Hero 6” and the comedy sequel “Dumb and Dumber To.” 

So now studio 20th Century Fox is trying to make “Martian” another fall science fiction success. All signs point to it doing respectably, at the very least. While some recent projects of Mr. Scott’s like the 2014 movie “Exodus: Gods and Kings” and 2013's "The Counselor” have stumbled, audiences will no doubt be curious to see the new project by a legend in the sci-fi genre (his last sci-fi project, 2012’s “Prometheus,” performed fairly well at the box office). Fans of Weir’s book, which is still on bestseller lists, will no doubt want to check out the movie adaptation. And most other studios have gotten out of the way of the film’s opening weekend, with “Martian” opening opposite such films as the Tom Hardy crime movie “Legend,” which will only be in limited release.

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