Latest Featurette For Ridley Scott’s The Martian Asks If Ares-3 Crew Are Made Of The Right Stuff

Ridley Scott may have one eye trained on his beloved Alien universe and, specifically, Prometheus 2, but before venturing back to LV-223 and its surrounding galaxy, the filmmaker will be releasing a much more grounded sci-fi tale with The Martian.

Hot on the heels of last week’s striking screenshots, which pictured Matt Damon’s wayward astronaut Mark Watney marooned on the Red Planet, 20th Century Fox has debuted a new featurette for the film that gives us a better insight into the minds of the Ares-3 crew. After undergoing a ten-day period of isolation, each member of the mission is interviewed individually for a psych test, serving up a vertical slice of their distinct personalities; from Damon’s decorated astronaut to Jessica Chastain’s stern, no-nonsense commander, Melissa Lewis.

Containing no footage from The Martian itself, it’s an effective viral marketing campaign that uses Prometheus as a touchstone, considering that Fox also released a variety of pseudo-marketing ads for the David 8 android (played to eerie effect by Michael Fassbender) circa 2012.

Lifted from the pages of Andy Weir’s acclaimed novel of the same name, The Martian will bring together Damon and Chastain, as well as Michael Peña, Naomi Scott, Kristin Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Donald Glover, Kate Mara, Aksel Hennie, Sean Bean, Chiwetel Ejiofor and The Winter Soldier‘s Sebastian Stan.

Ridley Scott’s The Martian touches down on October 2.

During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring “the Martian” home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible rescue mission. As these stories of incredible bravery unfold, the world comes together to root for Watney’s safe return.