Matt Damon is an astronaut again in these first images for Ridley Scott's THE MARTIAN!

The last time Matt Damon was an astronaut on-screen (see: Interstellar), things didn’t go so well for the people around him. But I guess Matthw McConaughey and Anne Hathaway are busy laughing their karmic asses off right now at this turn of events, as Damon’s newest flick, The Martian, sees him left in some distress on a distant planet this time. How ya like dem apples?!

The Martian, based on Andy Weir’s best-selling novel about an astronaut who is accidentally stranded on Mars when his malfunctioning suit incorrectly reports that he died during a storm, is director Ridley Scott’s latest attempt to recapture his former glory after a number of misfires and just complete duds (here’s looking at you, Robin Hood), and from the looks of things appears to be not just his best offering in ages, but also one of the best of the year. At least that was the buzz out of CinemaCon earlier in the year where footage of the film was shown and promptly blew away everybody lucky enough to be in attendance. Here’s an excerpt from i09‘s write-up:

The Martian was absolutely the standout film from Fox’s CinemaCon 2015 presentation. This is the gritty, space survivalist film we have been waiting for. No woo-science, no blubbering, no imaginary conversations with imaginary George Clooney — what I saw was a man abandoned on a planet that he is going to fix with science. No, really — the part that put me firmly in the “I must see this” camp for The Martian was after Matt Damon (who plays abandoned Astronaut Mark Watney) realizes that he only has enough food and oxygen for 30 days and says, “I’m going to have to science the shit out of this.” F*ck yes you are.

Of course, most of us were not so lucky, but EW and People have our back (kind of), as they’ve released the first images from the film. Sure, it’s no substitute for actual footage, but right now I’m so hyped for this film that I’ll take anything I can get!

And in case you didn’t pick it up from some of those pics, Ridley Scott has assembled a crazy talented support cast for Damon including Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, Kristen Wiig, Sebastian Stan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean, Donald Glover and more. The Martian will be blasting off in cinemas on November 25, 2015. Here’s the full synopsis:

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.

Last Updated: May 26, 2015