For Ridley Scott, Alone on Mars is indeed a comedy

The director agrees with the organizers of the Golden Globes.

At the beginning of 2016, Alone on Mars received the Golden Globe for best comedy. A prize accompanied by that of the best actor for Matt Damon. Selecting it in this category rather than among dramatic films may have been surprising, but it allowed it to win this prestigious award without being in competition with The Revenantvoted best drama.

Ridley Scott was recently questioned on this subject by the director of Nickel BoysRaMell Ross, during the Oscar preview roundtable hosted by THR -there were also the filmmakers Edward Berger, Denis Villeneuve, Brady Corbet and Coralie Fargeat. Asking him if the realization of The Martian had cost more than sending a real rover to Mars, the creator of Alien responded about his budget, as well as his “your particular.”

“I think we paid about $80 million,” he says. “The studio didn't realize it was a comedy, and the script was on the table for two years, before before Fox said to me: 'You want to read this script?' I did it, and I immediately said to them, 'That's really funny!'”

Scott continues: “I'm always amazed that people give us money to make our dream come true. They must be crazy. So it's real trust. I'm very respectful of that.”

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Drew Goddard had adapted Alone on Mars based on the novel by Andy Weirwhich he already described ten years ago as “book is a lot of fun.” Invited to the AFi Fest in 2015, Scott detailed:

“You don't expect it until you've seen the film – and if you haven't, go for it – it's really funny. The humor comes, fundamentally, from the difficult situation [du personnage] and the way he manages his life. How will he survive for four years? Of course, having Matt Damon is a plus, right? He's wonderfully funny, serving up a dry humor that works really well because all the humor is based on what was written, as a voice-over.”

With 650 million dollars in revenue worldwide, Alone on Mars became the biggest success of Ridley Scott's entire career at the end of 2015. By comparison, his last blockbuster, Gladiator 2amassed 450 million. The film is available on VOD, including on Première Max. Here is its trailer:

Matt Damon: “Alone on Mars is not Alone in the World”