13.02.2023
Coming to cinemas in France on February 15, 2023, director Nicolas Giraud’s new film The Astronaut offers moviegoers a tantalizing inside glimpse of the space industry. Several scenes were actually shot at ArianeGroup’s Vernon site in France during 2021.
© Nord-Ouest Films, Orange Studio, Artémis Production, Frères Zak
Aiming for total authenticity, the film crew developed a close working relationship with ArianeGroup. The project got the thumbs up from the company’s employees, because it conveys whole-hearted enthusiasm for space.
© Nord-Ouest Films, Orange Studio, Artémis Production, Frères Zak
Everybody got on board in support of the main objective, which was to embed the film in the realities of the space industry.
From the start, my idea was that this movie should be as realistic as it could be, and I was really lucky that ArianeGroup was willing to collaborate with us. On that basis, everything was possible, and the end result would be plausible and believable
Nicolas Giraud tells us. And he means both behind and in front of the camera, because as well as directing the film, he also plays the central character Jim Desforges, an aerospace engineer in charge of testing rocket engines for … ArianeGroup.
© Nord-Ouest Films, Orange Studio, Artémis Production, Frères Zak
Jim has secretly been working for years on an extraordinary project: building his own “homemade” rocket and using it to accomplish the first-ever amateur manned space flight. But in order to make his dream come true, he has to learn to share and work as part of a team …
© Nord-Ouest Films, Orange Studio, Artémis Production, Frères Zak
The star cast includes Mathieu Kassovitz, Hélène Vincent, Bruno Lochet, Ayumi Roux, Hippolyte Girardot, Anne Charrier, and Jérémie Rénier.
Twelve ArianeGroup employees from the Vernon site also appear in the movie. Check out the official trailer below.
© Nord-Ouest Films, Orange Studio, Artémis Production, Frères Zak
ArianeGroup was delighted to participate in the making of this movie. Our thanks to everybody in the film crew for all their attention to portraying our space industry reality in The Astronaut.