Good evening, folks.
Due to some scheduling issues, Reese Witherspoon has had to step away from the “PALE BLUE DOT” project to work on Season 2 of “Big Little Lies”. Natalie Portman is in talks to take her place! Noah Hawley of “Fargo” and Legion will be directing, using the script penned by Brian C. Brown and Elliott DiGuiseppi.
Fox Searchlight is also working on finding a male co-star to compliment Portman. Shooting will begin in Spring if things go smoothly.
The film “PALE BLUE DOT” centers around “a successful female astronaut who, after coming back home from a mission in space, starts to unravel when confronted by her seemingly perfect American dream life. The film explores the theory that astronauts who spend long periods of time in space begin to lose their sense of reality when they return home.”
Back in 2014, it was reported yielding results that show the negative effects of space on both the body and the mind. Bones and muscles weaken, astronauts regularly report hallucinations like seeing flashes light in their eyes like “luminous dancing fairies”. There an incident where an astronaut claimed to detect an odor where there was none, another illusion. Astronauts can become less coherent and able to function on their missions over time. None of these symptoms are really a surprise when you factor in the boredom and the loneliness the astronauts endure during their missions in space. The effects are very similar to spending time solitary confinement. The brain needs stimulation, without it, the brain starts to create its own via hallucinations and stress.
Moving on, Carl Sagan fans know of his “Pale Blue Dot” from the original “Cosmos”, which this film has obviously taken its name from. It’s a beautiful essay that I listen to occasionally to enjoy the beauty of it and to ground myself a little. It can be a bit of a reality check at times. If you’ve never heard or read it, I highly recommend checking it out!
Thanks for reading through my psychology and astronomy geekery!
~Big Eyes
