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

Kate tells Phillip and a passerby that a comet will destroy Earth; Phillip panics as the couple walk on.

Scene 31 of 205 · ≈ 2 min on screen · Act two

Randall
Phillip
Kate
Passerby

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 30 min into a 2:06 film

The story so farBefore scene 31

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.
Scene 27
After Orlean tells them to wait until after the midterms, Oglethorpe and Kate decide to leak the evidence to the press.
Just before
Scene 28
BASH CEO Peter Isherwell introduces a phone that reads users’ emotions at a technology convention.
Scene 29
Backstage, Isherwell receives a photograph of the comet marked “Direct hit.”
Scene 30
The New York Herald editors verify the comet report and arrange legal support and media training for Randall and Kate.
Scene 31
This scene

31EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET - 20 MINUTES LATER

Kate and Randall followed by Phillip, Kate’s boyfriend, are pulling their bags and looking for the Westin Hotel.

RANDALL

(reading his texts)

They want us on a show called The

Daily Rip first thing in the

morning tomorrow when the article

comes out. What is the Daily Rip?

Phillip is now hunched over and hyperventilating.

PHILLIP

It’s the best show. Everyone wants

to be on it. Brie and Jack, they

have legendary chemistry. They

asked me to go on it and I couldn’t

sleep for two nights I was so

excited. But they cut me for time.

It still hurts to think about it.

RANDALL

I know what show you’re talking

about. My wife loves that show.

PHILLIP

Can you just tell me what this is

all about? Because you haven’t read

my article about Conlon getting

hard in the art class, and now Adul

Grelio has come down from his

mountain top for your thing and you

won’t even give me a lousy pronoun.

Kate stops suddenly.

KATE

A comet bigger than the asteroid

that killed the dinosaurs is headed

directly at earth. If it isn’t

deflected the entire planet dies.

Phillip is stunned. A PASSERBY stops.

PASSERBY

What did you just say?

KATE

It’s for a video game.

Passerby moves on.

PHILLIP

Are you being serious?

KATE

Yes.

PHILLIP

Oh my god.

Phillip hyperventilates and starts to walk into the street