Russia recently launched director Klim Shipenko and actress Yulia Peresild into space to film on the International Space Station (ISS). Not content to have made the first feature-length film in space, Shipenko indulged in a more ambitious dream.
To note, Shipenko and Peresild spent 12 days on the ISS to shoot some scenes from the film titled 'The Challenge'. In the film, Peresild plays a doctor who is sent to the ISS to treat a sick cosmonaut.
In a press conference after returning from the ISS, Shipenko was asked about the possibility of making a sequel to the film 'The Challenge' on the Moon. He also admitted that he was ready if he had to make a film on the Moon.
"We are ready. We believe that space cinema should be made in outer space. If the film is about the Moon, let's go to the Moon, if it is about Mars, let's go to Mars," Shipenko said, as quoted by Reuters on Friday (10/21/2021).
"Why not? Why do films have to be made in a studio?" he continued.
Shipenko said the astronaut crew currently on the ISS helped shoot the film and contributed organic dialogue. The astronauts also helped hold Shipenko's legs so he wouldn't float and hit something while shooting.
The shooting process for the film The Challenge is still continuing until the end of this year. Shipenko said the space scenes that will be included in the film are likely to be 25-35 minutes long.
Shipenko did not reveal when the film will be released, but it is possible that a teaser showing the space scene will be shared soon. The cost of production was also not disclosed, but Shipenko said there was already a lot of interest in the film.
'The Challenge' is predicted to be the first feature-length film to be made in space. NASA, SpaceX and Tom Cruise also competed with Russia to make the first film in space, but the Hollywood project has yet to become a reality.
