Don't Look Up · written by Adam McKay · 2021

At an emergency cabinet meeting, Isherwell reveals the comet’s mineral value and Orlean recasts it as an economic opportunity.

Scene 126 of 205 · ≈ 2 min on screen · Act two

President Orlean
Secretary Of State Gleeson Berkers
Peter Isherwell
Randall
Jason
Secretary Of Education

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 1:12 into a 2:06 film

The story so farBefore scene 126

After PhD candidate Kate Dibiasky discovers a comet on a direct collision course with Earth, she and Professor Randall Mindy try to persuade a politically distracted President, a media-saturated public, and a powerful technology company to stop it before impact.

Scenes 1–7
Kate and Randall work within the familiar routine of astronomy and university research.
Scenes 8–26
They discover the impact deadline and need the government and public to respond, but Orlean refuses immediate action.
Scenes 27–60
Kate and Oglethorpe take the warning outside official channels, entering the press and television world to reach the public.
Scenes 61–72
The scientists navigate conspiracy claims, arrest, and political reversal as Orlean finally announces a deflection mission.
Scenes 73–122
Their warning appears to win official action and a national launch, though Randall’s celebrity role and BASH’s access undermine the effort.
Just before
Scene 123
The launched vehicles turn around and head back toward Earth as the global crowd falls silent.
Scene 124
Mission Control asks what happened to the mission.
Scene 125
Locked in a White House office, Kate and Oglethorpe learn Randall has been appointed chief science adviser while Kate is excluded.
Scene 126
This scene

126INT. CABINET ROOM - 20 MINUTES LATER

President Orlean presides over a FULL CABINET MEETING with Randall, Jason, several Generals in attendance. Peter Isherwell stands behind the President.

PRESIDENT ORLEAN

Ladies and gentlemen what we and

what the world thought was an

impending and terrifying danger...

is actually an astonishing

opportunity.

SECRETARY OF STATE GLEESON BERKERS

Our allies are very confused and

demanding answers Madame President.

PRESIDENT ORLEAN

Tell them to wait.

(moves on)

According to the most recent

spectrometer reading of Comet

Dibiasky made by astro-geologists

at BASH cellular... we have

discovered something. Something

truly miraculous. Peter?

PETER ISHERWELL

Thank you, Janie. As some of you

know the most valuable minerals in

the world are fast becoming the

ones used to make cell phones and

computers: yttrium, terbium,

osmium, dysprosium, and on and on.

We’re running short. And the

problem is exacerbated because

China has her big panda paw firmly

on almost all the mines that

produce these valuable rare earth

assets. So you can imagine, wow,

just how happy we were at BASH when

our astrogeologists that this comet

hurtling towards earth actually

contains at least thirty-two

trillion dollars of these critical

materials.

RANDALL

I’m sorry, I’m sorry, is that why

you aborted this entire mission

because you are trying to mine the

comet?

PRESIDENT ORLEAN