Supernova
2000 · United States, Switzerland · 87 min
- Director
- Jack Sholder, Francis Ford Coppola, Walter Hill
- Screenplay
- David C. Wilson
- Music
- David C. Williams
- Cinematography
- Lloyd Nicholas Ahern
- Editing
- Melissa Kent
Cast
What it is about
Supernova follows the crew of the medical ship Nightingale 229, a vessel dedicated to search and rescue in deep space. A distress call from a mining moon more than 3,000 light-years away forces its six crew members to make a dangerous jump with very little time to spare. On arrival, they find a lone survivor and a mysterious alien artifact, in an environment that grows more perilous by the hour.
How it was made
The project began in the late 1980s as Dead Star, developed by horror filmmaker William Malone, who pitched it as Hellraiser in space. After passing through several hands, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquired it and retitled it. Walter Hill directed a shoot with little preparation time, but the final cut was substantially reworked: Jack Sholder shot uncredited reshoots, and Francis Ford Coppola was brought in for editing. The directing credit went to the pseudonym Thomas Lee instead.
Reception and legacy
Critics savaged the film, faulting its story, characters, pacing, and effects. At the box office it was a bomb, grossing about 14.8 million dollars against an estimated budget of between 60 and 90 million. Over time, its interest has come mostly from its troubled production history.
Stills
Trailer
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Trivia
A pseudonym for the director
Walter Hill's credit on screen was Thomas Lee, used instead of Alan Smithee, a name that had come to signal films disowned by their makers.
Concept art by H. R. Giger
Swiss artist H. R. Giger produced concept sketches in 1990 to promote the project, then still called Dead Star. He was paid 10,000 Swiss francs for the work.
More films by Jack Sholder
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
The Hidden
Alone in the Dark
ArachnidOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.