Russia seeks actress to send to space for ISS feature film | Ents & Arts News



[ad_1]

The largest Russian TV channel has launched a competition to find a woman to star in what it hopes will be the first feature film shot in space.

In collaboration with the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Channel One aims to find a protagonist for the film – tentatively titled “Challenge” – which will begin filming at the International Space Station (ISS) in October 2021.

And in a space race for the 21st century, the project is competing pip movie star Tom Cruise at the post after announcing it would partner with NASA is Elon MuskSpaceX to film the first narrative film outside of Earth’s atmosphere around the same time.

Tom Cruise
Image:
Tom Cruise has a run on his hands to star in the first space feature film. Pic: Getty / Russia Channel One
"Top Gun: Maverick" is directed by Joseph Kosinski, due out in theaters in June 2020.
Image:
Cruising is no stranger to high-altitude acrobatics. Pic: Top Gun: Maverick / Paramount Pics

The casting announcement for the role says a “real superhero” is needed for the part, someone who wants to “go to the stars … while becoming a major international star”.

Although the successful candidate does not have to be a professional actress, she must be between the ages of 25 and 40, be between 150 and 180 cm tall, weigh between 50 and 70 kg and have a “chest circumference” of up to 112 cm .

She is also required to have a clean criminal record.

In addition, he must be fit enough and able to run 1km in three and a half minutes or less, swim 800m freestyle in 20 minutes and dive off a three-meter springboard with impressive technique.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, only Russian citizens will be taken into consideration.

As part of the initial screening, each candidate must also submit a screen proof in which they read the famous letter from Russian poet Alexander Pushkin from Tatyana to Eugene Onegin in his 1833 novel.

A shortlist of 30 candidates will be drawn up after the face-to-face casting and then reduced to two with a series of physical, medical and psychological tests.

Eventually two women will be trained as “research-cosmonauts” – one for the lead role and the other as a stand-in / stand-in.

It is understood that a supporting actor will also be selected and sent into space, but in a separate process from the public female casting.

Roscosmos director general Dmitry Rogozin described the project as “a kind of space experiment” and said the winners would be prepared for any situation that could “unexpectedly arise aboard the station”.

They will spend three months training in basic knowledge of space, spacecraft and the ISS at the Cosmonaut School. Another three months of practice will follow.

They will be trained in weightless flights using vestibular training and a centrifuge, and survival training on the off chance of an “abnormal landing”.

The training will include weightless flights.  Photo: Russia / Channel One
Image:
The training will include weightless flights. Pic: Russia Channel One

Applicants have also been warned that they must be ready to sleep in an ISS sleeping bag and wash their hair with just a couple of drops of water, leave-in shampoo and a towel.

Elena Serova, astronaut and deputy of the Russian Federal Assembly, said: “If the applicant is married, there will be little time left for a family and the environment, believe me, is quite demanding.”

It takes about six years to train a professional astronaut to go to space, although the entire preparation to enter orbit for the film will be undertaken in less than a year.

During space flight, astronauts travel at around 17,000 mph and orbit the Earth 16 times a day once on the ISS.

:: Subscribe to the Backstage podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

While plot details have yet to be released, Channel One CEO Konstantin Ernst said the script is currently being written with the help of Roscosmos in an effort to make it true to reality.

He said: “This is not science fiction, this is a very realistic version of what could happen in the near future.”

Filming in space will last 10 days and, in addition to time on set, the actors will also have to train for two hours a day, using barbells, a squat machine or a treadmill.

The Russian film is also against other competitors in the drive to film in space, as in addition to Tom CruiseIn the untitled £ 200 million (£ 150 million) Universal Studios project, an American reality show is also in the works.

Using a similar selection process and training program, Space Hero Inc plans to send a civilian to the ISS in 2023 and broadcast it live around the world. It is said to involve the biggest prize ever awarded to American TV.

The International Space Station is a $ 100 billion (£ 80 billion) science and engineering laboratory, 250 miles (400 km) above the earth.

A multinational collaborative project, it hosts five participating space agencies including Roscosmos and NASA.

[ad_2]
Source link