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

Calder takes Randall’s call, reviews the comet data, and contacts Dr. Oglethorpe.

Scene 4 of 205 · ≈ 1 min on screen · Act one

Nasa Scientist
Dr. Calder
Randall

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 4 min into a 2:06 film

The story so farBefore scene 4

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.

Just before
Scene 1
Kate Dibiasky photographs a faint object at the Subaru telescope, enlarges it, and recognizes a comet.
Scene 2
Randall, Kate, and the graduate students calculate the comet’s orbit; Randall sends the others away after the alarming result.
Scene 3
Dr. Jocelyn Calder walks quickly down a NASA headquarters hallway in a sharp business suit.
Scene 4
This scene

4INT. NASA HEADQUARTERS - OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Calder takes the phone from a NASA SCIENTIST.

NASA SCIENTIST

Dr. Calder. A Michigan State

Professor and his grad students are

at Subaru--

DR. CALDER

(ignores him)

This is Dr. Calder. You’ve just

pulled me out of a meeting where I

had to tell my team we’ve lost 8

billion in funding.

RANDALL

I am so sorry Dr. Calder. But we

are seeing some awfully strange

orbital numbers on this comet we

just found. They should be in your

inbox.

Data and pictures are on the computer screen in front of Dr. Calder. Dr. Calder takes a look.

DR. CALDER

Okay... Hmm...yeah, yeah, okay...

(beat)

Let me get Doctor Oglethorpe on the

line. Please hold.