The Day the Earth Stood Still

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)

Timing: 1:44 (104 min)

5.654/10
3703

6.267/10
158885

5.5/10
187000

All about film

Video 1

Photo 47

Actors and characters

Release date

2008-12-10

Country

Canada, United States

Production

Dune Entertainment III, 20th Century Fox, 3 Arts Entertainment, Earth Canada Productions, Hammerhead Productions

Genre

Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller

Budget

$80 000 000

Revenue

$233 093 859

Website

Director

Scott Derrickson

Actors

Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Jaden Smith, Jon Hamm, Kathy Bates, John Cleese, Kyle Chandler, Robert Knepper, Brandon T. Jackson, James Hong
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Erwin Stoff, Paul Harris Boardman, Gregory Goodman

Operator

David Tattersall

Composer

Tyler Bates

Artist

Catherine Ircha, Andrew Li

Audition

Heike Brandstatter, Coreen Mayrs, Mindy Marin

Editing

Wayne Wahrman
All team (386)

• The role of Dr. Helen Benson was written specifically for Jennifer Connelly.
• Scott Derrickson is a fan of director Robert Wise. He had dreamed of remaking 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' since 1993.
• Keanu Reeves was the only actor producer Erwin Stoff wanted to see in the role of Klaatu.
• Dr. Benhard's name is Basil. This is a reference to the famous character played by John Cleese – hotel manager Basil Fawlty from the television series 'Fawlty Towers'.
• There was room for improvisation on the set with Derrickson. For example, the scene where the alien guest was seated on a chair and forced to undergo a lie detector test was conceived by Keanu Reeves. He also came up with the questions and answers for the test.
• In the scene where Klaatu finishes writing formulas on the board for the scientist, Keanu Reeves writes with his right hand. In reality, he is left-handed. This was likely done to more closely resemble the original 1951 film, where Klaatu also completed a formula on the board using his right hand.
• Jaden Smith's character (Jacob) plays the game "World of Warcraft" on a laptop.
• In the scene where Klaatu meets his fellow countryman at a McDonald's restaurant, Keanu Reeves speaks in one of the dialects of the Chinese language, namely Putonghua – the official language of the People's Republic of China.
• "Klaatu, Barada, Nikto" – these are the words that Bruce Campbell's character had to utter in the film "Army of Darkness" so that the dead would not pursue him.
• In the scene where Helen is already at home and Jacob is watching the news, a speech by Vladimir Putin can be seen on television.
• When Klaatu is wounded and the robot begins to destroy everything, Keanu Reeves' character says: "Klaatu, Barada, Nikto," to stop the robot. The same words had to be spoken in the original film to stop or start the robot.
• Scott Derrickson is a fan of director Robert Wise. He had dreamed of directing a remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" since 1993.