# Atlas Shrugged (film series)

Atlas Shrugged is a trilogy of American science fiction drama films. The series, adaptations of Ayn Rand's 1957 novel of the same title, are subtitled Part I (2011), Part II (2012) and Part III (2014); the latter sometimes includes Who Is John Galt? in the title.

## Synopsis

The films take place in a dystopian United States, wherein many of society's most prominent and successful industrialists abandon their fortunes as the government shifts the nation towards socialism, making aggressive new regulations, taking control of industries, while picking winners and losers.
* In Part I, railroad executive Dagny Taggart (Taylor Schilling) and steel mogul Henry Rearden (Grant Bowler) form an alliance to fight the increasingly authoritarian government of the United States.
* In Part II, Taggart (Samantha Mathis) and Rearden (Jason Beghe) search desperately for the inventor of a revolutionary motor as the U.S. government continues to spread its control over the national economy.
* In Part III, Taggart (Laura Regan) and Rearden (Rob Morrow) come into contact with the man responsible for the strike whose effects are the focus of much of the series.

## Overview

| Role | Films | Films | Films |
| Role | Atlas Shrugged: Part I (2011) | Atlas Shrugged: Part II (2012) | Atlas Shrugged: Part III (2014) |
| Director | Paul Johansson | John Putch | J. James Manera |
| Producer(s) | John Aglialoro Harmon Kaslow | John Aglialoro Harmon Kaslow Jeff Freilich | John Aglialoro Harmon Kaslow |
| Screenwriter(s) | John Aglialoro Brian Patrick O'Toole | Duke Sandefur Brian Patrick O'Toole Duncan Scott | J. James Manera John Aglialoro Harmon Kaslow |
| Composer(s) | Elia Cmiral | Chris Bacon Ash Brown Gregg Benedict | Elia Cmiral |
| Editor(s) | Jim Flynn Sherril Schlesinger | John Gilbert | Tony Ciccone |
| Cinematographer | Ross Berryman | Ross Berryman | Gale Tattersall |
| Production company(s) | The Strike Productions | Either Or Productions | "A is A" Productions, Inc. |
| Distributor(s) | Rocky Mountain Pictures 20th Century Fox | Atlas Distribution Company | Atlas Distribution Company |
| Runtime | 97 minutes | 112 minutes | 99 minutes |
| Release date | April 15, 2011 | October 12, 2012 | September 12, 2014 |

## Production

See Part I's production, Part II's production, Part III's production

## Plot

See Part I's plot, Part II's plot, Part III's plot

## Cast

The film trilogy is unique in that none of the same actors reprised their roles in the next films.
| Character(s) | Actor | Actor | Actor |
| Character(s) | Part I (2011) | Part II (2012) | Part III (2014) |
| Dagny Taggart | Taylor Schilling | Samantha Mathis | Laura Regan |
| Henry "Hank" Rearden | Grant Bowler | Jason Beghe | Rob Morrow |
| James Taggart | Matthew Marsden | Patrick Fabian | Greg Germann |
| John Galt | Paul Johansson | D.B. Sweeney | Kristoffer Polaha |
| Ellis Wyatt | Graham Beckel | Graham Beckel (image only) | Lew Temple |
| Francisco Domingo Carlos Andres Sebastián d'Anconia | Jsu Garcia | Esai Morales | Joaquim de Almeida |
| Wesley Mouch | Michael Lerner | Paul McCrane | Louis Herthum |
| Edwin "Eddie" Willers | Edi Gathegi | Richard T. Jones | Dominic Daniel |
| Cherryl Taggart (née Brooks) | Mercedes Connor | Larisa Oleynik | Jen Nikolaisen |
| Lillian Rearden | Rebecca Wisocky | Kim Rhodes | |
| Philip Rearden | Neill Barry | | |
| Owen Kellogg | Ethan Cohn | | |
| Eugene Lawson | Rob Brownstein | Phil Valentine | |
| Midas Mulligan | Geoff Pierson | | Mark Moses |
| Dr. Robert Stadler | Navid Negahban | Robert Picardo | Neil Dickson |
| Orren Boyle | Jon Polito | | |
| Head of State Thompson | | Ray Wise | Peter Mackenzie |
| Hugh Akston | Michael O'Keefe | | Stephen Tobolowsky |
| Dr. Floyd Ferris | | John Rubinstein | Larry Cedar |

## Reception

The trilogy received predominantly negative critic reviews. Further, the aggregate earnings in the USA box office is just under $9 million, with each film performing worse than the last on both accounts.
* The first film, directed by Paul Johansson, stars Taylor Schilling, Grant Bowler, Matthew Marsden, Johansson, Graham Beckel and Jsu Garcia was released in April 2011; it had a USA box office of $4.6 million on a budget of $20 million. Most of the marketing was done online.
* The second film, directed by John Putch, stars Samantha Mathis, Jason Beghe, Patrick Fabian, D.B. Sweeney and Esai Morales; it had a USA box office of $3.3 million on a budget of $10 million.
* The third film, directed by J. James Manera, stars Laura Regan, Rob Morrow, Greg Germann, Kristoffer Polaha, Lew Temple and Joaquim de Almeida; it had a USA box office of $0.8 million on a budget of under $5 million.
| Film | Release date | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | Budget | Gross |
| Atlas Shrugged: Part I | April 15, 2011 | 12% (51 reviews) | 28 (19 reviews) | $20 million | $4,627,375 |
| Atlas Shrugged: Part II | October 12, 2012 | 4% (23 reviews) | 26 (11 reviews) | $10 million | $3,336,053 |
| Atlas Shrugged: Part III | September 26, 2014 | 0% (10 reviews) | 9 (7 reviews) | >$5 million | $846,704 |

## Home media

Part I was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 8, 2011; Part II on February 19, 2013; and Part III on January 6, 2015.