Trailer
Plot summary
In 2057, a dying Sun has left Earth frozen. The eight astronauts of Icarus II carry a colossal stellar bomb, the last hope of reigniting it. Passing Mercury, the ship receives a signal from Icarus I, the mission lost seven years before. Engineer Mace objects, but Captain Kaneda, on the recommendation of physicist Capa, diverts to investigate, hoping the first ship's identical bomb can serve as a backup. Navigator Trey charts the new route and neglects the heat shields; the panels shielding Icarus II from sunlight are damaged. Pilot Cassie turns the ship into Mercury's shadow while Kaneda and Capa go outside to repair them.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Sunshine (2007)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Danny Boyle originally included romantic subplots, among them a sex scene planned between Capa (Cillian Murphy) and Cassie (Rose Byrne) in the ship's oxygen garden, but he cut them, considering the attempt at relationships in space too "embarrassing".
- Hiroyuki Sanada's character was originally called Kanada, but the actor asked Danny Boyle to change the name to Kaneda, a more natural Japanese name.
- Michelle Yeoh was originally offered the role of the Captain, played in the film by Hiroyuki Sanada, but turned it down as she felt she was not ready to play such a part.
- Cillian Murphy said that his involvement in Sunshine caused him to change his own views on religion, moving from agnosticism to atheism.
- Mark Strong's character Pinbacker was inspired by Sergeant Pinback from Dark Star, and the character's disfiguring burns were influenced by the injuries suffered by F1 driver Niki Lauda.
- Despite high praise for the score from fans of the film, the soundtrack release was significantly delayed, partly due to "disputes" between the lawyers of Underworld and Fox Searchlight; it finally appeared on iTunes USA on 25 November 2008.
- After completion of filming, Danny Boyle said that he would not revisit the science fiction genre, citing the production as a spiritually exhausting experience.
- Sunshine's American release was tiny: the film opened in just 10 cinemas in the United States and took US$242,964 over its opening weekend.
