Astronaut Scott Kelly, who returned to Earth in March 2016 after a year in space, will be the subject of a new movie from Sony Pictures. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has picked up the competitive rights to Endurance: My Year in Space and Our Journey to Mars, Kelly’s forthcoming memoir, which will be published November 7, 2017 by Knopf. The recently retired Kelly logged over 500 days in space, combining previous missions as well as his #YearinSpace, which saw him spend 340 consecutive days on the International Space Station (and tweet about the experience). He held the American record for most time spent in space (520 days) until September 6, when astronaut Jeff Williams passed 534 days.
In addition to the endurance—physical and emotional, separated as he was from family and friends—in the title, the adaptation of Kelly’s memoir will also focus on NASA’s Twins Study, which began after his return. As part of the Human Research Program, NASA is comparing the physiological effects of space travel on Scott Kelly’s body with that of his twin Mark Kelly, a retired astronaut who remained on Earth during the year Scott was in space. These studies will guide how NASA prepares for potential future journeys to Mars—which, judging from the title, is part of Kelly’s memoir as well. THR also describes “the loving but highly competitive drive both he and his identical twin brother underwent to become astronauts,” which will no doubt make its way into the movie. Both Kelly brothers will serve as co-executive producers of the adaptation.
I hope that the Endurance movie makes use of Kelly’s tweets, stunning photos, and videos, which documented his year in space in a way that was relatable for everyone on the ground. In the meantime, you can watch TIME and PBS’s documentary series A Year in Space, released around the time of Kelly’s return to Earth.
via Vulture
