Asteroid Clara: The Director's Cut

Asteroid Clara: The Director's Cut (クララ小惑星 Kurara Shōwakusei, Clara's Asteroid, or simply Asteroid Clara) is a 2026 Japanese-Philippine apocalyptic disaster drama film co-produced by Toho and GMA Pictures. It is a heavily re-edited version of the 2020 film #JusticeForLove: End of the World. Directed by Gina Alajar, and starring Rebecca Rittenhouse as the film's titular character, with Max CollinsCredited as Isabelle Abiera. and Yasmien Kurdi, the film's story focuses on the discovery of a 10-kilometer asteroid on a collision course with Earth, and a depressed woman's attempt to reunite with her mother in Manila before the inevitable end of mankind.
First conceptualized in 2013 following the Chelyabinsk meteor event, the film was adapted from the screenplay of The Last War, and inspired by the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, also incorporating elements from the Philippine drama genre. The film focuses more on the importance of asteroid impact avoidance rather than the original version's use of overlapping themes and metaphors, following the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), the first successful attempt at asteroid deflection. With the upcoming release of the American reboot of #JusticeForLove: End of the World on December 25, 2026, along with dissatisfaction from Rebecca Rittenhouse and Gabriella Wilde regarding their characters in the film, Toho decided to release a revised version to be released jointly alongside the American reboot.
The film was given a limited theatrical release on November 3, 2026, coinciding Godzilla's 72nd anniversary, and was followed by an international release on home media as a double-feature with the American reboot. It received mixed reviews from critics, earning $3 million during its initial theatrical run. Asteroid Clara later attracted a huge audience and generated online hype due to fears generated by the highly anticipated close approach of asteroid 99942 Apophis, that was initially thought to impact Earth on April 13, 2029.
== Description ==
== Plot ==
:Unlike the original version, the film is not divided into individual chapters.
The film begins in 1984, when two paleontologists and a NASA scientist are being interviewed at a talk show regarding a recent discovery. The paleontologists had discovered that extinction events in Earth's history has been occurring periodically, and with the Alvarez hypothesis gaining interest in the scientific community at the timeAfter the Alvarezes' published their discovery regarding the iridium anomaly in 1980, many other reports of similar iridium spikes were reported across the globe, all coincide with the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary. In the 1980s, over 2,000 papers were published regarding the topic. It sparked wide interest in the cause of the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction. However, the Chicxulub crater was not discovered until 1990., the scientist warns that the planet is unprepared for any asteroid impact event. The film then cuts to an introductory sequence depicting the technological advancement of mankind along with timelapse shots of human civilization.
In present day"Present day" refers to the year #JusticeForLove: End of the World was originally released, meaning the film takes place in 2020, not the year Asteroid Clara was released. San Francisco, Alicia Salvacion begins to suffer from depression after losing her husband and her newborn baby in a streetcar accident, and attempts to commit suicide at the Golden Gate Bridge. She is rescued by Mylene Concepcion, that arrived in the city only to reunite with her younger sister, Andrea. Mylene promises to help Alicia recover from her depression, which resulted in the two becoming friends.
Meanwhile, astronomer Clara Young is studying near-Earth objects at an observatory when one night, an unidentified object is discovered, which turns out to be an asteroid. She spends the next three days for additional observations, and after discovering the asteroid's calculated orbit, she realizes that the object is 10-kilometers wide, and is on a collision course with Earth, large enough to trigger an extinction-level event.
Young informs the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) regarding her discovery, and the object is given the provisional designation "2020 NA" by the Minor Planet Center, while other astronomers began calling the asteroid after its discoverer. Rather than announcing the threat, the United States government decided to conceal the asteroid's existence to the public, due to high anticipation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Andrea realizes that she's in danger after she discovers that her fiancé, Gregorio, is involved in organized crime throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, and attempts to warn Mylene. Gregorio threatens Andrea of killing Mylene if she attempts to escape from him. For the safety of her own sister, Andrea is forced to agree Gregorio's condition of staying with him.
In Tokyo, a small asteroid fragment destroys a large portion of the city and forcing the 2020 Olympics to be cancelled. Young discovers that smaller fragments were responsible, and insists that the world should be informed regarding the threat, but the government still refuses to reveal the impending doom by assuring the destruction of Tokyo was an isolated incident.
Alicia begins to experience frequent headache and dizziness, and at one point losing consciousness. Lorraine "Lori" Jones, a renowned investigator and one of Alicia's friends, decides to bring Alicia to a hospital, in which she is diagnosed with internal bleeding in her brain, and has only less than a year left to live. Alicia considers about returning to Manila to reunite with her mother, Romina, and spend her last few months there.
Following a failed attempt to rescue Andrea from Gregorio, Mylene's friend Olivia Imperial was murdered in an attempt to frame Mylene. The next day, Mylene is arrested, while Gregorio finally escapes San Francisco. Realizing that Mylene is in the same situation that she experienced before, Alicia is forced to stay in San Francisco to help Mylene clear her name, with additional support from Lori.
Young discovers another asteroid fragment, which is projected to impact somewhere in Northern California. She attempts to warn the citizens of the San Francisco Bay Area, but the government prohibited her from making any public appearances. As a result, she is unable to warn people regarding the impending disaster. The object then impacts San Francisco, levelling most of the Bay Area and killing Andrea in the process.
At the same time, Mylene's court trial finally takes place in Sacramento, in which Mylene is acquitted for murder and proven innocent. However, Mylene is later informed regarding her sister's death in San Francisco, and mourns her death in Sacramento. Afterwards, Mylene begins to notice Alicia's worsening health condition, and she finally discovers Alicia's internal bleeding in her brain.
However, Alicia's remaining life is reduced from 7 months to only 2 months, forcing her to finally return to the Philippines with Romina's sister Corazon, to spend her remaining time with her mother, but it is too late, as Alicia and Corazon find out that Romina had already died only a few hours before their arrival in Manila.
With the asteroid becoming visible to the naked eye and the destruction of San Francisco from another fragment, the United Nations finally reveals the asteroid's existence to the public. The United States government makes a public apology to Young, also announcing their plan on deflecting the asteroid by launching intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) together with Russia.
Mylene decides to stay in Sacramento with her husband and son, while Lori listens to Jessica's advice of abandoning her investigation. Young returns on making public appearances on television as the discoverer of the asteroid, becoming a celebrity in the process. In Manila, Alicia begins to blame Mylene for her mother's death, and immediately regrets her decision to stay in San Francisco.
On October 5, approximately five days before impact, the ICBMs were launched, but failed to deflect the asteroid, which remains on a collision course with Earth. The government announces the failure of the mission in an emergency broadcast, while Young announces the asteroid's final trajectory, which shows that the asteroid will impact somewhere in western Europe on October 10.
Around the globe, society quickly breaks down as widespread panic occurs. Meanwhile, Alicia's health condition continues to worsen, and realizing the end of mankind is now inevitable, Alicia finally accepts her ultimate fate, and decides to visit some of her former relatives for the last time, including her ex-husband Nathan, now married to Lynette, and her supportive best friend Eileen, now promoted to a hotel manager in Baguio City.
Only a few hours before the asteroid's projected impact, a third fragment explodes over Los Angeles, California at a height of 12 kilometers above Downtown Los Angeles. The shockwave blasts the countless buildings apart like paper and causing trees to topple over, destroying the city in the process. Young discovers that the third fragment approached Earth undetected before its atmospheric entry, due to its radiant was close to the larger asteroid.
Young, Alicia, and Mylene all spend their final moments as the asteroid approaches Earth and begins its atmospheric entry. Young is dismayed, despite years of studying asteroids, mankind had failed to prevent the incoming catastrophe, and is now about to meet the same fate as the dinosaurs. Alicia finally forgives Mylene for blaming her, before eventually wishing for a second chance to start anew, by being able to reunite with her loved ones in the afterlife.
The asteroid finally makes impact in central France, just east of Paris, triggering a global firestorm that slowly engulfs the planet, instantly obliterating cities in its path, including New York City. It reaches the Himalayas, melting the glaciers due to increasing temperature, then Panama, destroying its diverse biodiversity.
Alicia and Corazon embrace their deaths as the global firestorm approaches Manila, obliterating the city and its landmarks in the process, including the Torre de Manila, Quezon Memorial Shrine, Manila City Hall, and the Metrobank Center. London and Athens are shown left burning to ruins as the global firestorm finally engulfs the Earth only 14 hours after impact.
30 years later, only the remnants of human civilization remain. Sydney, Mexico City, and Chicago are all shown in complete ruins, as the entire surface of the Earth has been rendered uninhabitable by the effects of impact winter. Alicia is seen reuniting with her loved ones in the afterlife, signifying her wish of giving her a second chance to start anew was granted.
The film ends on a shot of a ruined San Francisco, with a disclaimer message stating that the events depicted is a work of fiction that could one day become reality. Only by working together can mankind avoid this terrible fate.
== Cast ==
:All cast members are credited under their real names.
* Rebecca Rittenhouse as Clara Young
:An astronomer studying near-Earth objects, that would later discover the asteroid that threatens Earth, which resulted in the asteroid being named after her. Rittenhouse had the most extensive preparation in all of the cast members. For her role, she consulted various astronomers and was also instructed to watch documentaries regarding astronomy and the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction, as Rittenhouse had no previous experience on sci-fi disaster films.
* Isabelle AbieraPopularly known by her screen name Max Collins. as Mylene Concepcion
:First time arriving in San Francisco only to reunite with Andrea, she accidentally meets Alicia and later helps her recover from her depression. When she discovers that Andrea is in danger, she desperately attempts to rescue her, even it means risking her own life. Abiera was cast only due to her hometown being San Francisco, the film's main setting.
* Yasmien Kurdi as Alicia Salvacion
:After losing her family in a streetcar accident, she begins to suffer from depression and attempts to commit suicide, but she is rescued by Mylene. Later diagnosed with internal bleeding in her brain, which convinces her to reunite with her estranged mother in Manila. The character was written specifically for Kurdi, as Alajar already knew Kurdi's potential as an prominent drama actress, as early as 2003.
* Rose Byrne as Lorraine "Lori" Jones
:A renowned investigator, she is tasked by the federal government to investigate Gregorio Soriano.
* Jay Manalo as Gregorio Soriano
:Andrea's fiancé and the CEO of Soriano Industries.
* Gabriella Wilde as Jessica Morgan
:Lori's best friend that lives in San Francisco.
* Mariam Al-AlawiPopularly known by her screen name Ivana Alawi. as Andrea Concepcion
:Mylene's younger sister.
* Gineb MacalinaoPopularly known by her screen name Lovely Rivero. as Corazon Salvacion
:Romina's sister and Alicia's only relative in California.
* Rosario RodriguezPopularly known by her screen name Jean Garcia. as Romina Salvacion
:Alicia's mother.
* Jade Lopez as Stephanie "Steffi" Perez
:Mylene's supportive best friend and a local news reporter.
* Ysabel Ortega as Olivia Imperial
:A protective and insensitive friend of Mylene and Andrea.
Additionally, Therlyn AlcuitasPopularly known by her screen name Reese Tuazon. portrays Eileen Salcedo, Alicia's supportive best friend in the Philippines. Mikael Daez portrays Nathan Castillo, Alicia's ex-husband. Kris Bernal portrays Lynette, Nathan's current wife. Caprice Cayetano and Seth dela Cruz both portray Corazon's twin children.
Scenes featuring Martin del Rosario, Empress Schuck, Jason Abalos, and Dion Ignacio were removed. Raymond Bagatsing and Kit Thompson still does not appear in this version. Alicia Silverstone was offered for a potential cameo, but declined.
== Staff ==
* Directed by Gina Alajar
* Produced by Darling Pulido-Torres, Shusuke Kaneko
* Screenplay by Ryuhei Kitamura, Masato Kato
* Story by Des Garbes-Severino, Maria Zita S. Garganera, Suzette Doctolero
* Adapted from the screenplay of The Last War written by Toshio Yasumi
* Inspired by the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event
* Music by Shiro Sagisu
* Cinematography by Kosuke Yamada, Taro Kawazu
* Edited by Hiroshi Okuda
* Special effects by Eiichi Asada, Makoto Kamiya
== Appearances ==
=== Locations ===
* United States
** San Francisco
** Sacramento
** Los Angeles
** New York City
** Chicago
* Philippines
** Manila
* Japan
** Tokyo
* France
** Paris
* Nepal
** Himalayas
* Panama
** Panama Canal
* United Kingdom
** London
* Greece
** Athens
* Australia
** Sydney
* Mexico
** Mexico City
=== Weapons, vehicles, and races ===
* 2020 NA (Clara)
== Alternate titles ==
* Clara's Asteroid (クララ小惑星 Kurara Shōwakusei, Japanese title)
* Asteroid Clara (Official international title)
* Justice for Love Presents: Asteroid Clara (early international title)
== Production ==
=== Early concept ===
In an interview with Gabriella Wilde in 2021, it is revealed that there is enough footage for a four-hour version of #JusticeForLove: End of the World, resulting in almost 1 hour and 30 minutes of footage being cut during post-production.
A year later, during in an interview for Maggie, Rebecca Rittenhouse was asked regarding the popular myth surrounding the removed airburst scene for #JusticeForLove: End of the World, with Rittenhouse denying such claims, also revealing that she was cast in the film, and extensively prepared for her role, but ultimately went unused.
On February 24, 2021, Don't Look Up was released on Netflix internationally. Its director, producer, and writer, Adam McKay, was certainly aware of the production of #JusticeForLove: End of the World, and influenced him to include a character based on Rittenhouse's cut character into his own film, with Jennifer Lawrence being cast for the role. McKay wrote the character specifically for Lawrence.
On February 2024, Roland Emmerich was announced as the director for an upcoming American reboot of #JusticeForLove: End of the World, with a planned 2026 release. In an attempt to renew attention on the original film, and as a response to the issues mentioned by both Wilde and Rittenhouse, Japanese studio Toho decided to release a revised version of the film, to be released jointly alongside the upcoming American reboot.
=== Post-production ===
In the revised version, the film's story now focuses on Rittenhouse's character, while Mylene and Alicia's story was minimized by removing several important scenes and characters, including removing the streetcar accident scene, and removing Ethan's revenge subplot completely. Scenes featuring Cristina Alvarez and Mylene's family were also removed.
The Los Angeles airburst scene was completely restored by Moving Picture Company, due to the popular myth surrounding its removal in #JusticeForLove: End of the World. The scene cost, at minimum, $7 million to finish.
Footage from the 2022 short film The Final Moments by GMA Pictures was also used for Alicia and Corazon's death scene, the destruction of Manila, and the rest of the Philippine archipelago.
== Release ==
The film was given a limited theatrical release on November 3, 2026 in the United States, coinciding Godzilla's 72nd anniversary. The film earned more than $3 million during its initial theatrical run.
Following the theatrical release of the American reboot, the film was later released direct-to-video internationally, on DVD and Blu-ray, as a double-feature with Justice for the End of the World.
== Reception ==
Compared to #JusticeForLove: End of the World, the revised version received mixed reviews from critics. The visual effects, plot, Rittenhouse's performance, and the film's theme were praised, but the film was criticized for minimizing Kurdi's role, story, underwritten human characters, and extremely long running time. The revised version is noted to be "inferior" to the original, but is still considered better than the American reboot. Nonetheless, the film's Los Angeles airburst scene recieved critical acclaim, praising its accuracy on portraying a meteor air burst, with many comparing it to the real-life 1908 Tunguska event, had it occured on a large metropolitan area.
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 56% based on 88 reviews, with an average rating of 6.30/10. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 49 based on 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
== Awards ==
Year	Award 	Category 	Recipient 	Result
2026	42nd PMPC Star Awards for Movies	Best Visual Effects 	Asteroid Clara	
2026	2026 Japan Academy Awards 	Best Visual Effects 	Asteroid Clara	
2026	49th Saturn Awards 	Best International Film	Asteroid Clara	
2026	49th Saturn Awards 	Best Special Effects 	Eiichi Asada 	
== Video releases ==
Toho DVD/Blu-ray (2027)
* Region: 1 & 2
* Discs: 4
* Audio: English & Tagalog (3.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital for DVD, 3.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio for Blu-ray)
* Subtitles: English, Japanese
* Special features: Footage from previsualization and storyboards (24 minutes), VFX breakdown (30 minutes); general behind-the-scenes featurette (15 minutes)
* Notes: Packaged with Justice for the End of the World.
== Trivia ==
* While the original version of the film used the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor event as inspiration, Asteroid Clara used the asteroid 99942 Apophis instead. Following its release, the film attracted a huge audience and generated online hype as Apophis' 2029 close approach generated fears of a possible impact with Earth since its initial observations in 2004.
** Conspiracy theorists has cited the film itself as evidence that Apophis will impact Earth during its 2029 close approach. Astronomers reject such claims, and made efforts to inform the public that Apophis has no chance of impacting Earth in the next 100 years.
* Both Rebecca Rittenhouse and Gabriella Wilde were previously considered for roles in a sci-fi film. Rittenhouse as the female lead in Deadpool, while for Wilde as Patricia Whitmore in Independence Day: Resurgence.
* The film's Japanese title, Clara's Asteroid, is actually inaccurate as asteroids don't use the same naming scheme as comets. For example, one of the most prominent comets is popularly known as Halley's Comet.
== Videos ==
<tabber>
|-|Clips=
Opening Title Sequence - Asteroid Clara (FAN-FICTION PROJECT)
Tokyo destruction scene - Justice for Love - End of the World (FAN-FICTION PROJECT)
San Francisco destruction scene - Justice for Love - End of the World (FAN-FICTION PROJECT)
Paris & New York City destruction scene - Justice for Love - End of the World (FAN-FICTION PROJECT)
|-|Shorts=
Tokyo Tower destruction.gif|Destruction of Tokyo Tower
San Francisco destruction.gif|Destruction of San Francisco
Golden Gate Bridge destruction.gif|Destruction of the Golden Gate Bridge
MetLife Building destruction.gif|Destruction of MetLife Building
Times Square destruction.gif|Destruction of Times Square
Empire State Building destruction.gif|Destruction of Empire State Building
 
</tabber>
== See also ==
* The End of the World – Possibly the earliest film to depict a worldwide catastrophe caused by an astronomical object
* When Worlds Collide – One of the earliest films to depict the complete destruction of Earth from a large impact event
* Gorath – Toho's own version of the 1951 film When Worlds Collide and a precursor of this film
* Deep Impact – Originated as a remake of When Worlds Collide and adaptation of The Hammer of God
* Armageddon – Released 2 months after Deep Impact and focuses on a similar story
* Greenland – Released only 7 days before #JusticeForLove: End of the World, focuses entirely on the human cast
* #JusticeForLove: End of the World – The original version of this film that entirely focuses on Alicia's perspective
* Don't Look Up – A satirical version of #JusticeForLove: End of the World that is a metaphor for climate change
* Moonfall – Inspired by the Hollow Moon hypothesis, features the Moon on a collision course with Earth
== Notes ==
Category:Justice for Love duology
Category:Movies
Category:Films
Category:Apocalyptic films
Category:Disaster films
Category:Drama films
Category:Science fiction films
Category:2026 films
Category:Films set in San Francisco‏‎
Category:Films set in Philippines
Category:Films set in Tokyo‏‎
Category:Toho