Amazon Studios and Amblin Television are heading to Mars in a new feature doc, with the help of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Good Night Oppy will tell the true story of Opportunity — a Mars exploration rover that was active from 2004 to 2018 — and the bond forged between the robot and the humans that created her. Oppy became an international sensation over its 15 year-long mission, which came to an end with one final communication to earth: “My battery is low and it’s getting dark.”
JPL, which successfully landed Opportunity’s “younger sister” Perseverance on Mars last month, is providing filmmakers with access and unique footage in the filming of this documentary.
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The doc, which is being produced by Film 45 and Tripod Media, was at the center of a bidding war that included six streamers and networks and ended in an eight-figure deal, according to knowledgable sources. Ryan White, who was behind Sundance stand-out doc Assassins, will direct.
Industrial Light & Magic will be in charge of the feature’s visual effects created by ILM, audiences will be transported to the Red Planet alongside Oppy.
Amblin Partners’ Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey will produce, with Film 45’s Brandon Carroll and Matt Goldberg, and Tripod Media’s Jessica Hargrave and Ryan White. Stephen Neely and Max Wagner will serve as executive producers.
“It was impossible not to fall in love with the story of Oppy – one of hope, ambition, adventure and exceeded expectations and an exploration of the special relationship between mankind and technology,” said Frank and Falvey, who will the doc oversee for Amblin, along with Clint LaVigne.
Said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon studios: “The innovation and determination that made Oppy’s journey possible, and the spirit of discovery that drives the team at JPL, are an inspiration.”
Film 45 and Amblin Television are repped by WME; White and Tripod Media are repped by WME and Submarine.
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