Deep Impact ( film ) - wikipedia Deep Impact ( film ) This article is about the 1998 film involving a `` killer comet ''. For the NASA mission to several comets, see Deep Impact ( spacecraft ). Deep Impact Theatrical release poster Directed by Mimi Leder Produced by David Brown Richard D. Zanuck Written by Bruce Joel Rubin Michael Tolkin Based on The Hammer of God by Arthur C. Clarke Starring Robert Duvall Téa Leoni Elijah Wood Vanessa Redgrave Maximilian Schell Morgan Freeman Music by James Horner Cinematography Dietrich Lohmann Edited by Paul Cichocki David Rosenbloom Production company The Manhattan Project Zanuck / Brown Productions Distributed by Paramount Pictures ( United States ) DreamWorks Pictures ( International ) Release date May 8, 1998 ( 1998 - 05 - 08 ) Running time 121 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $80 million Box office $349.5 million Deep Impact is a 1998 American science - fiction disaster film directed by Mimi Leder, written by Bruce Joel Rubin and Michael Tolkin, and starring Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood, Vanessa Redgrave, Maximilian Schell, and Morgan Freeman. Steven Spielberg served as an executive producer of this film. It was released by Paramount Pictures in the United States and by DreamWorks Pictures internationally on May 8, 1998. The film depicts the attempts to prepare for and destroy a 7 - mile ( 11 km ) wide comet set to collide with Earth and cause a mass extinction. Notably, Deep Impact was released in the same summer as a similarly themed film, Armageddon, which fared better at the box office, while astronomers described Deep Impact as being more scientifically accurate. Both films were similarly received by critics, with Armageddon scoring 39 % and Deep Impact scoring 48 % on Rotten Tomatoes. Nonetheless, Deep Impact grossed over $349 million worldwide on an $80 million production budget. It was the final film by cinematographer Dietrich Lohmann. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Music 5 Reception 5.1 Box office 5.2 Critical reception 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Plot On May 10, 1998, teenaged amateur astronomer Leo Biederman ( Elijah Wood ) discovers an unusual object near the stars Mizar and Alcor at a star party. His teacher has Leo take a picture and then sends it to astronomer Dr. Marcus Wolf. Wolf realizes that the object is a comet on a collision course with Earth. Unfortunately, Wolf dies in a car accident on his way to alert the authorities. One year later, MSNBC journalist Jenny Lerner investigates the sudden resignation of Secretary of the Treasury Alan Rittenhouse and his connection to `` Ellie '', supposedly a mistress. After interviewing Rittenhouse, she is taken by the FBI to see President Tom Beck. Lerner realizes that Ellie is really an acronym : `` E.L.E. '' ( `` extinction - level event '' ). Due to Lerner 's investigation, President Beck makes an announcement earlier than planned : the comet, named Wolf - Biederman, is headed for Earth. It is 7 miles ( 11 km ) long, large enough to cause a mass extinction, and possibly wipe out humanity. He also reveals that the United States and Russia have been constructing an Orion spacecraft called Messiah in orbit that will transport a team, led by Oren Monash and including veteran astronaut Spurgeon `` Fish '' Tanner, to the comet, hoping to alter its path with nuclear weapons. After landing on the comet, the crew plant nuclear bombs beneath the surface, but are caught in outgassing explosions when sunlight heats up the comet. Monash is blinded by unfiltered sunlight and suffers severe facial burns, while Gus Partenza is flung into space by an outflow of gas. When the bombs detonate, the ship is damaged by the blast and the team loses contact with Earth. President Beck announces that the bombs only split the comet into two smaller pieces, nicknamed `` Biederman '' ( 1.5 miles ( 2.4 km ) long ) and `` Wolf '' ( 6 miles ( 9.7 km ) long ), both still heading for Earth. Beck then imposes martial law and reveals that governments worldwide have been building underground shelters. The United States ' shelter is in the limestone caves of Missouri. A lottery selects 800,000 Americans under age 50 to join 200,000 selected individuals, as well as a massive supply of food, genetically viable populations of significant animals, and the seeds of every plant species. Lerner and the Biederman family are chosen, but Leo 's girlfriend Sarah Hotchner and her family are not. Leo marries Sarah to try to save her family, but it does not work. Sarah refuses to leave without her parents. A last - ditch effort to use ICBMs to deflect the comets fails. Biederman will strike the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Hatteras and generate megatsunamis up to 3,500 ft ( 1,067 m ) high. Wolf will hit western Canada, creating a huge cloud of dust and molten particles that will block out the Sun for two years, killing all life on the surface in a matter of weeks. Leo returns home looking for Sarah, but her family has left for the Appalachian Mountains and is caught in a massive traffic jam. Leo catches up to them on a motorcycle. Sarah 's parents tell Leo to take Sarah and her baby brother to high ground. Meanwhile, Lerner gives up her seat in the last evacuation helicopter to her friend Beth and Beth 's young daughter. She joins her estranged father Jason at his beach house, where they reconcile. Biederman hits the water, creating a megatsunami that kills many, including Lerner and her father. Unable to safely attempt a second landing, the crew of Messiah decide to undertake a suicide mission, using their remaining nuclear warheads to try to obliterate Wolf. After they say goodbye to their loved ones by video conference, they manage to blow Wolf into smaller pieces that burn up harmlessly in Earth 's atmosphere. Leo, Sarah, and her baby brother make it to safety. After the waters recede, President Beck speaks to a large crowd, encouraging them to remember and honor the heroes for their sacrifice. Cast Elijah Wood as Leo Biederman Téa Leoni as Jenny Lerner Robert Duvall as Captain Spurgeon `` Fish '' Tanner Morgan Freeman as President Tom Beck Maximilian Schell as Jason Lerner Vanessa Redgrave as Robin Lerner Leelee Sobieski as Sarah Hotchner James Cromwell as Former Secretary of the Treasury Alan Rittenhouse Ron Eldard as Commander Oren Monash Mary McCormack as Andrea `` Andy '' Baker Aleksandr Baluev as Colonel Michail Tulchinsky Blair Underwood as Mark Simon Jon Favreau as Gus Partenza Laura Innes as Beth Stanley Richard Schiff as Don Biederman Betsy Brantley as Ellen Biederman Mike O'Malley as Mike Perry Rya Kihlstedt as Chloe Charles Martin Smith as Dr. Marcus Wolf Dougray Scott as Eric Vennekor Francis X. McCarthy as General Scott Kurtwood Smith as Otis Hefter Denise Crosby as Vicky Hotchner Jason Dohring as Jason Christopher Darga as Section Leader Production The origins of Deep Impact started in the late 1970s when producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown approached Paramount Studios proposing a remake of the 1951 film When Worlds Collide. Although several screenplay drafts were completed, the producers were not completely happy with any of them and the project remained in `` development hell '' for many years. In the mid 1990s, they approached director Steven Spielberg, with whom they had made the 1975 blockbuster Jaws, to discuss their long - planned project. However, Spielberg had already bought the film rights to the 1993 novel The Hammer of God by Arthur C. Clarke, which dealt with a similar theme of an asteroid on a collision course for Earth and humanity 's attempts to prevent its own extinction. Spielberg planned to produce and direct The Hammer of God himself for his then - fledgling DreamWorks studio, but opted to merge the two projects with Zanuck and Brown, and they commissioned a screenplay for what would become Deep Impact. In 1995, the forthcoming film was announced in industry publications as `` Screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin, based on the film When Worlds Collide and The Hammer of God by Arthur C Clarke '' though ultimately, following a subsequent redraft by Michael Tolkin, neither source work would be credited in the final film. Spielberg still planned to direct Deep Impact himself, but commitments to his 1997 film Amistad prevented him from doing so in time, particularly as Touchstone Pictures had just announced their own similarly - themed film Armageddon, also to be released in summer 1998. Not wanting to wait, the producers opted to hire Mimi Leder to direct Deep Impact, with Spielberg acting as Executive Producer. Although publicised as an adaptation of his novel both before and after the film 's release, Clarke was disgruntled about not being credited on the film. Jenny Lerner, the character played by Téa Leoni, was originally intended to work for CNN. CNN rejected this because it would be `` inappropriate ''. MSNBC agreed to be featured in the movie instead, seeing it as a way to gain exposure for the then newly created network. Director Mimi Leder later explained that she would have liked to travel to other countries to incorporate additional perspectives, but due to a strict filming schedule and a low budget, the idea was scratched. Visual effects supervisor Scott Farrar felt that coverage of worldwide events would have distracted and detracted from the main characters ' stories. Music Deep Impact -- Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack album by James Horner Released May 5, 1998 Recorded 1997 -- 1998 Genre Film score Length 77 : 12 Label Sony Classical James Horner chronology Titanic ( 1997 ) Deep Impact -- Music from the Motion Picture ( 1998 ) The Mask of Zorro ( 1998 ) The music for the film was composed and conducted by James Horner. Reception Box office Deep Impact debuted at the North American box office with $41,000,000 in ticket sales. The movie grossed $140,000,000 in North America and an additional $209,000,000 worldwide for a total gross of $349,000,000. Despite competition in the summer of 1998 from the similar Armageddon, Deep Impact was still a box office hit and was the higher opener of the two. Critical reception The film had a mixed critical reception. Based on 52 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, 48 % of critics enjoyed the film, with an average rating of 5.8 / 10. Metacritic gave a score of 40 based on 20 reviews. Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times said that the film `` has a more brooding, thoughtful tone than this genre usually calls for '', while Rita Kempley and Michael O'Sullivan of the Washington Post criticized what they saw as unemotional performances and a lack of tension. See also Film portal Space portal References ^ Jump up to : Shapiro, Mark ( May 1998 ). `` When Worlds Collide Anew ( On Location for Deep Impact... ) ''. Starlog. New York, US : Starlog Group, Inc. Retrieved July 15, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Deep Impact ''. The Numbers. Retrieved 2013 - 02 - 01. Jump up ^ `` Deep Impact ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2013 - 02 - 01. Jump up ^ Olthuis, Andrew. `` Deep Impact ''. Allmovie. Retrieved August 12, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Disaster Movies ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008 - 03 - 23. Jump up ^ Plait, Phil ( February 17, 2000 ). `` Hollywood Does the Universe Wrong ''. Space.com. Archived from the original on 2010 - 10 - 12. Jump up ^ Oliver, Myrna ( November 20, 1997 ). `` Dietrich Lohmann ; Widely Praised Cinematographer ''. LA Times. Retrieved August 18, 2015. Jump up ^ Deep Impact. The Film Journal. 98, Issues 1 -- 6. Pubsun Corp. 1995. Retrieved July 14, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Arthur C 's Pool Of Knowledge ''. Saga Magazine. UK : Saga ( Acromas Travel Ltd ). 1997. Retrieved July 14, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Deep Impact - Full Cast and Credits - 1998 ''. Hollywood.com. 4 February 2015. Jump up ^ TV Guide Film and Video Companion 2005. US : Barnes & Noble. 2004. p. 232. ISBN 978 - 0760761045. Jump up ^ Grant, Edmund ( 1999 ). The Motion Picture Guide 1999 Annual. US : Cinebooks. p. 94. ISBN 978 - 0933997431. Jump up ^ `` A Visit with Arthur C. Clarke ''. Locus Magazine. September 1999. Retrieved 2008 - 05 - 14. Jump up ^ The threat and the opportunity of asteroids and other near - earth objects. hearing before the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics of the Committee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Fifth Congress, second session, May 21, 1998. 4. United States GPO. 1998. Retrieved July 14, 2017. Jump up ^ AP : MSNBC gets role in Deep Impact after CNN declines 30 / 4 / 98 : http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-19861267.html ^ Jump up to : Leder, Mimi and Farrar, Scott. Audio commentary. Deep Impact DVD. Universal Studios, 2004. Jump up ^ `` Deep Impact ( 1998 ) ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008 - 02 - 22. Jump up ^ `` Deep Impact ( 1998 ) ''. Retrieved May 6, 2015. Jump up ^ Maslin, Janet ( May 8, 1998 ). `` Movie Review -- Deep Impact ''. The New York Times. Retrieved November 10, 2012. Jump up ^ Kempley, Rita ( March 8, 2000 ). `` ' Deep Impact ' : C'mon Comet ! ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved December 22, 2009. Jump up ^ O'Sullivan, Michael ( March 8, 2000 ). `` High Profile, Low ' Impact ' ''. The Washington Post. Retrieved December 22, 2009. External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : Deep Impact Deep Impact on IMDb Deep Impact at the TCM Movie Database Deep Impact at Box Office Mojo Deep Impact at AllMovie Deep Impact at Rotten Tomatoes Films directed by Mimi Leder A Little Piece of Heaven ( 1991 ) The Innocent ( 1994 ) The Peacemaker ( 1997 ) Deep Impact ( 1998 ) Pay It Forward ( 2000 ) Thick as Thieves ( 2009 ) On the Basis of Sex ( 2018 ) Planetary defense Main topics Asteroid Bolide Earth - grazing fireball Impact event List of meteor air bursts Meteor procession Meteor shower Meteorite Meteoroid Near - Earth object Potentially hazardous object Defense Asteroid impact avoidance Asteroid laser ablation Gravity tractor Ion - beam shepherd Asteroid close approaches Earth - crossing minor planets Damage scales Palermo scale Torino scale Space probes Dawn Deep Impact DART Halley Armada Hayabusa Hayabusa2 MASCOT NEAR Shoemaker NEA Scout New Horizons OSIRIS - REx PROCYON Rosetta Philae Stardust NEO tracking ATLAS Catalina Sky Survey LINEAR LONEOS NEAT NEOSSat NEOCam NEODyS OGS Telescope Orbit@home Pan-STARRS SCAP Sentinel Space Telescope Sentry Spacewatch WISE Organizations B612 Foundation Japan Spaceguard Association Meteoritical Society NEOShield Spaceguard The Spaceguard Foundation Space Situational Awareness Programme Planetary Defense Coordination Office Potential threats 1950 DA 1994 WR 101955 Bennu 2002 MN ( 410777 ) 2009 FD 2010 RF 99942 Apophis Films / video The End of the World ( 1916 ) When Worlds Collide ( 1951 ) Gorath ( 1962 ) The Green Slime ( 1968 ) The Paradise Syndrome ( 1968 ) A Fire in the Sky ( 1978 ) Meteor ( 1979 ) NOVA : Doomsday Asteroid ( 1995 ) Asteroid ( 1997 ) Deep Impact ( 1998 ) Armageddon ( 1998 ) Judgment Day ( 1999 ) Post Impact ( 2004 ) Deadly Skies ( 2006 ) Super Comet : After the Impact ( 2007 ) Impact ( 2009 ) NOVA : Last Extinction ( 2009 ) Meteor Storm ( 2010 ) HORIZON : Asteroids -- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ( 2010 ) Melancholia ( 2011 ) NOVA : Meteor Strike ( 2013 ) NOVA : Asteroid : Doomsday or Payday ? ( 2013 ) Impact Earth ( 2015 ) Avengers : Age of Ultron ( 2015 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Deep_Impact_(film)&oldid=840638080 '' Categories : 1998 films English - language films American films 1990s science fiction films American disaster films American science fiction films Comets in fiction Fictional comets Films about fictional Presidents of the United States Films about tsunamis Films set in the Atlantic Ocean Films set in Missouri Films set in New York City Films set in North Carolina Films set in the White House Films set in Virginia Films set in Washington, D.C. Impact event films Paramount Pictures films DreamWorks Pictures films Films scored by James Horner Films directed by Mimi Leder Films produced by Richard D. 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Question: who played sarah in the movie deep impact
Answer: Leelee Sobieski