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向 出 征 外 太 空 的 英 雄 致 敬
為 潛 入 內 太 空 的 科 學 家 鼓 掌
全 球 生 命 倒 數 直 入 地 心 是 唯 一 出 路

地 球 核 心 突 然 停 止 轉 動 ， 引 致 電 磁 場 嚴 重 損 壞 ， 世 界 各 地 接 二 連 三 發 生 離 奇 災 難 。 在 波 士 頓 32 名 攜 帶 脈 搏 節 律 機 的 人 突 然 暴 斃 ； 三 藩 市 的 金 門 橋 忽 然 塌 下 ， 導 致 過 百 人 身 亡 ； 倫 敦 特 拉 法 加 廣 場 上 的 白 鴿 失 去 方 向 感 ， 橫 飛 直 撞 ， 猛 擊 途 人 和 汽 車 ， 引 致 交 通 失 控 ， 死 傷 慘 重 ； 羅 馬 鬥 獸 場 搖 搖 欲 墜 ， 上 千 名 遊 客 無 助 地 看 著 這 個 古 戰 場 毀 成 灰 燼 … …

地 球 物 理 學 家 左 舒 ( 艾 朗 伊 克 飾 演 ) 與 全 球 著 名 科 學 家 被 急 召 到 華 盛 頓 相 討 對 策 。 他 們 發 現 唯 一 的 解 決 方 法 ， 是 在 地 球 中 心 引 爆 一 個 核 儀 器 ， 令 地 核 磁 場 重 新 推 動 。 若 不 盡 快 搶 救 ， 地 球 就 會 被 大 量 微 波 輻 射 線 「 燒 溶 」 ！ 為 了 拯 救 人 類 避 過 今 次 災 難 ， 全 球 最 年 輕 的 太 空 人 莉 貝 嘉 ( 希 拉 莉 絲 韻 飾 演 ) 甘 願 冒 著 生 命 危 險 ， 駕 駛 人 類 首 隻 「 鑽 地 船 」 ， 與 左 舒 等 科 學 家 一 行 ６ 人 深 入 地 核 ， 完 成 任 務 。

至 今 只 出 征 過 外 太 空 的 人 類 ， 從 未 妄 想 過 潛 入 地 球 深 層 、 探 索 「 內 太 空 」 的 世 界 。 一 個 充 滿 未 知 和 恐 懼 的 空 間 ， ６ 位 科 學 家 踏 出 人 類 前 所 未 有 的 驚 險 旅 程 。

製 作 花 絮

破 天 荒 內 太 空 探 險 �� 合 愛 因 斯 坦 預 言

過 去 半 世 紀 ， 多 位 偉 大 科 學 家 均 提 出 地 球 磁 場 的 問 題 ， 其 中 愛 因 斯 坦 更 強 調 這 是 「 物 理 學 中 最 重 要 的 課 題 之 一 。 」 事 實 上 ， 科 學 家 早 已 發 現 地 球 的 磁 場 每 25 萬 年 便 會 改 變 一 次 ， 沒 有 人 知 道 繼 續 下 去 會 有 甚 麼 影 響 。 哈 佛 大 學 太 空 研 究 Sten Odenwald 博 士 指 出 ： 「 地 球 物 理 學 家 開 始 發 現 地 球 磁 場 的 力 度 逐 漸 衰 退 ， 我 們 都 不 知 道 這 是 自 然 變 化 ， 還 是 危 機 的 先 兆 。 」

因 此 ， 導 演 莊 艾 美 爾 (Jon Amiel) 認 為 本 片 並 非 純 粹 天 馬 行 空 的 科 幻 小 說 (Science Fiction) ， 而 是 「 科 學 事 實 小 說 」 (Science Faction) ， 將 科 學 、 事 實 及 想 像 混 合 而 成 。 他 說 ： 「 即 使 科 學 家 也 只 是 猜 測 下 面 究 竟 發 生 了 甚 麼 事 ， 他 們 向 地 下 發 出 聲 波 ， 聲 波 反 射 回 來 ， 讓 他 們 推 斷 出 地 核 分 為 外 地 核 和 內 地 核 ， 外 地 核 由 像 液 體 的 物 質 構 成 ， 內 地 核 則 像 固 體 ， 由 鎳 和 鐵 等 構 成 ， 但 一 切 無 人 可 以 肯 定 。 」

但 肯 定 的 是 ， 描 寫 外 太 空 (Outerspace) 、 外 星 的 作 品 多 不 勝 數 ， 但 「 內 太 空 」 (Innerspace) 卻 是 未 有 人 挑 戰 卻 又 充 滿 可 能 性 和 謎 團 的 空 間 。

６ 位 英 雄 拯 救 地 球

除 了 帶 觀 眾 進 入 刺 激 的 內 太 空 ， 艾 美 爾 表 示 影 片 的 重 點 還 落 在 ６ 位 冒 死 拯 救 人 類 的 「 鑽 地 船 」 成 員 。 由 於 ６ 人 出 身 不 同 ， 性 格 不 一 ， 各 具 專 長 、 野 心 和 弱 點 ， 人 物 之 間 的 衝 突 令 這 次 旅 程 更 富 戲 劇 性 。 他 們 分 別 是 ：

左 舒 ( 艾 朗 伊 克 飾 ) ， 地 球 物 理 學 家 ， 吊 兒 郎 當 ， 半 推 半 就 履 行 今 次 任 務 ；

莉 貝 嘉 （ 希 拉 莉 絲 韻 飾 ） ， 史 上 最 年 輕 女 太 空 人 ， 聰 穎 漂 亮 ， 行 動 果 敢 ， 負 責 駕 駛 「 鑽 地 船 」 ；

波 比 依 華 遜 （ 希 斯 格 連 活 飾 ） ： 美 國 太 空 總 署 (NASA) 指 揮 官 ， 最 看 重 自 己 的 事 業 ；

巴 茲 （ 德 萊 連 杜 飾 ） ： 閉 關 於 猶 他 沙 漠 的 科 學 家 ， 「 鑽 地 船 」 的 發 明 人 ；

沈 思 機 （ 史 丹 利 杜 �Z 飾 ） ： 地 球 物 理 學 家 ， 狂 譟 自 大 ， 堅 持 己 見 ；

沙 治 （ 捷 奇 卡 里 奧 飾 ） ： 法 國 原 子 武 器 專 家 。

各 自 請 教 專 家 意 見

為 求 探 險 旅 程 更 見 逼 真 ， 導 演 安 排 各 演 員 向 加 州 工 業 學 院 (Caltech) 科 學 家 、 NASA 太 空 人 及 加 州 大 學 教 授 等 不 同 專 家 聽 取 意 見 。 譬 如 飾 演 地 球 物 理 學 家 的 艾 朗 伊 克 與 連 度 一 同 到 了 Caltech 的 「 噴 射 推 進 研 究 所 」 觀 察 科 學 家 的 工 作 。 而 飾 演 太 空 人 的 希 拉 莉 絲 韻 和 希 斯 格 連 活 則 探 訪 了 太 空 人 蘇 珊 咸 絲 (Susan Helms) 和 湯 D. 鍾 斯 博 士 (Tom D. Jones) 。 能 與 在 美 國 太 空 站 生 活 了 兩 個 月 的 咸 絲 會 面 ， 希 拉 莉 絲 韻 感 到 份 外 興 奮 ： 更 自 爆 ： 「 在 志 願 成 為 演 員 之 前 ， 我 一 直 想 做 太 空 人 。 直 到 現 在 ， 我 依 然 很 想 到 太 空 一 次 ！ 」 而 在 太 空 共 逗 留 了 53 日 的 鍾 斯 ， 除 了 分 享 他 的 飛 行 經 驗 外 ， 還 把 自 己 在 太 空 拍 攝 的 錄 影 帶 播 放 給 希 斯 格 連 活 看 ， 希 斯 格 連 活 感 動 地 說 ： 「 實 在 太 精 彩 了 … … 太 空 人 是 真 正 的 英 雄 。 」

此 外 ， 飾 演 是 此 任 務 總 司 令 史 德 麗 的 艾 菲 活 納 則 跟 熟 悉 NASA 架 構 的 科 學 家 談 過 ， 原 來 現 實 生 活 中 並 未 曾 有 女 性 擔 任 過 此 要 職 ， 結 果 ， 艾 菲 活 納 根 據 資 料 提 供 來 設 定 角 色 的 出 身 及 學 歷 。 至 於 飾 演 電 腦 天 才 的 D.J. 喬 奧 斯 ， 則 請 教 了 一 班 出 獄 後 獲 政 府 聘 用 的 「 黑 客 」 ， 看 他 們 示 範 如 何 盜 取 電 腦 資 料 ， 只 是 他 們 技 術 超 凡 ， 令 喬 奧 斯 大 吃 一 驚 。

創 造 未 可 知 的 地 核 世 界

地 球 核 心 是 一 個 無 人 知 曉 的 世 界 ， 在 設 計 上 有 著 無 限 的 可 能 性 ， 但 美 術 設 計 組 必 須 考 慮 兩 個 問 題 ： 一 、 過 去 的 電 影 如 何 表 現 這 個 空 間 ？ 二 、 科 學 家 僅 有 地 核 研 究 結 果 是 甚 麼 ？

首 個 問 題 很 快 就 解 決 了 ， 因 為 在 本 片 以 前 ， 只 得 《 Journey to the Center of the Earth 》 （ 1959 年 ） 一 片 以 深 入 地 球 之 旅 為 題 ， 但 片 中 竟 然 是 講 一 班 身 穿 蘇 格 蘭 粗 毛 冷 民 族 服 的 人 步 行 入 地 球 中 心 ， 在 那 裡 發 現 了 一 隻 大 蜥 蝪 、 一 個 巨 湖 ， 以 及 迷 失 之 城 「 阿 特 蘭 蒂 斯 」 ！ 艾 美 爾 笑 言 ： 「 我 們 既 然 擁 有 150 年 的 科 學 知 識 ， 應 該 重 新 定 位 。 」 所 以 本 片 帶 觀 眾 看 到 的 地 核 絕 不 會 是 籠 統 又 荒 謬 的 迷 城 。

視 覺 效 果 總 監 格 力 哥 利 麥 梅 利 則 強 調 本 片 是 從 真 實 科 學 出 發 ： 「 但 因 為 『 內 太 空 』 的 研 究 不 及 『 外 太 空 』 全 面 ， 我 們 只 有 盡 量 將 有 限 的 科 學 根 據 結 合 豐 富 想 像 來 構 成 內 太 空 世 界 。 」 此 外 ， 在 模 造 地 核 的 材 料 和 釐 定 內 部 溫 度 等 細 節 上 ， 亦 一 一 徵 詢 了 Caltech 的 科 學 家 。

鑽 地 船 的 設 計 蚯 蚓 ＋ 火 箭 ＋ 潛 水 艇

至 於 為 劇 情 而 製 造 的 「 Virgil 」 號 「 鑽 地 船 」 ， 則 堪 稱 人 類 史 上 創 舉 。 設 計 組 為 這 艘 「 鑽 地 船 」 絞 盡 腦 汁 ， 起 初 ， 他 們 造 了 多 款 模 型 ， 卻 全 遭 導 演 反 對 。 監 製 大 衛 科 士 打 說 ： 「 我 覺 得 很 多 設 計 都 很 精 彩 ， 不 過 艾 美 爾 說 它 們 太 似 《 星 球 大 戰 》 和 《 星 空 奇 遇 記 》 的 太 空 船 。 那 我 們 便 想 ， 哪 種 生 物 最 能 表 現 鑽 進 土 地 裡 的 形 態 呢 ？ 於 是 便 想 到 了 蚯 蚓 。 」

在 採 納 了 猶 如 蚯 蚓 的 幼 長 、 分 節 機 身 之 後 ， 在 功 能 上 卻 遇 上 另 一 些 問 題 ： 究 竟 這 艘 「 鑽 地 船 」 如 何 鑽 入 地 底 ？ 又 如 何 前 進 ？ 如 何 駕 駛 ？ 設 計 組 於 是 又 將 火 箭 及 潛 水 艇 的 概 念 一 拼 加 入 ， 完 成 了 「 Virgil 」 號 的 造 型 。

而 為 了 加 強 真 實 感 ， 影 片 更 索 性 製 造 了 一 個 原 大 size 的 「 Virgil 」 號 ， 機 身 長 200 呎 ， 高 30 呎 ， 龐 大 如 一 架 737 飛 機 ！

至 於 船 倉 內 部 ， 則 用 上 沉 色 、 泥 調 的 粗 糙 踏 實 設 計 ， 一 反 傳 統 太 空 Feel 的 銀 、 白 、 簡 約 光 潔 感 。 導 演 指 出 片 中 拯 救 隊 急 於 行 動 ， 因 此 「 Virgil 」 號 ： 「 就 像 ３ 個 月 內 趕 工 出 來 的 船 一 樣 ， 不 能 兼 顧 甚 麼 室 內 設 計 了 。 」

仿 造 奇 景 ： 地 核 晶 洞

在 眾 多 場 面 中 ， 最 具 挑 戰 性 的 可 說 是 拍 攝 「 Virgil 」 號 硬 鑽 入 地 核 內 超 巨 型 結 晶 球 (geode) 的 情 況 。 據 資 料 收 集 所 得 ， 大 型 晶 球 確 實 存 在 於 地 球 內 部 ， 有 的 甚 至 長 達 30 呎 。 在 重 現 地 核 晶 洞 時 ， 美 術 組 便 用 上 多 達 ５ 里 長 的 亞 加 力 膠 片 來 製 造 多 個 高 達 20 呎 原 大 晶 球 。

此 外 ， 深 入 地 核 後 ， 場 景 會 有 更 多 出 人 意 表 之 處 ， 包 括 如 迷 宮 一 樣 的 火 山 口 通 路 、 地 殼 與 地 幔 之 間 的 險 隘 地 形 、 鋪 滿 超 巨 寶 石 的 鑽 石 場 等 等 ， 由 400 多 個 視 覺 效 果 鏡 頭 創 造 出 這 些 震 撼 影 象 。

陣 容 簡 介

硬 朗 影 后 希 拉 莉 絲 韻

1999 年 ， 希 拉 莉 絲 韻 (Hilary Swank) 憑 《 沒 哭 聲 的 抉 擇 》 (Boys Don't Cry) 中 演 繹 Teena Brandon 的 真 人 真 事 而 技 驚 四 座 。 這 個 受 性 別 危 機 困 擾 而 女 扮 男 裝 的 角 色 為 當 時 只 有 25 歲 的 希 拉 莉 絲 韻 帶 來 多 達 19 個 電 影 獎 項 ， 其 中 包 括 讓 她 榮 陞 雙 料 影 后 的 奧 斯 卡 及 金 球 獎 最 佳 女 主 角 殊 榮 。

1974 年 出 生 的 希 拉 莉 絲 韻 ， 從 小 熱 愛 體 育 ， 中 學 時 入 選 少 年 奧 林 匹 克 游 泳 代 表 隊 ， 在 美 國 州 際 運 動 會 中 更 曾 代 表 華 盛 頓 州 贏 得 泳 賽 冠 軍 ， 及 在 體 操 項 目 中 排 名 第 五 。 另 一 方 面 ， 希 拉 莉 絲 韻 同 樣 活 躍 於 區 內 及 校 內 的 話 劇 演 出 ； 小 時 候 已 被 星 探 發 掘 的 她 ， 直 至 16 歲 才 下 定 決 心 搬 到 洛 杉 磯 追 夢 。 1992 年 ， 她 獲 派 成 為 電 視 片 集 《 Camp Wilder 》 的 基 本 演 員 ， 並 參 演 了 《 Buffy the Vampire Slayer 》 的 電 影 版 ； 兩 年 後 主 演 了 《 空 手 道 神 童 ４ 》 (The Next Karate Kid) ， 惜 影 片 成 績 未 如 理 想 ， 希 拉 莉 絲 韻 遂 專 心 發 展 電 視 工 作 ， 其 中 更 憑 青 春 劇 集 《 Beverly Hills, 90210 》 而 知 名 度 激 增 。 此 時 ， 碰 巧 《 沒 哭 聲 的 抉 擇 》 選 角 陷 於 困 局 ， 前 後 有 近 百 個 女 星 拒 絕 主 演 ， 過 了 ３ 年 依 然 找 不 到 人 做 主 角 ， 但 希 拉 莉 絲 韻 卻 看 中 這 角 色 的 挑 戰 性 ， 向 導 演 金 巴 莉 皮 雅 絲 （ Kimberly Peirce ） 自 薦 ， 結 果 這 齣 低 成 本 獨 立 電 影 震 撼 全 球 ， 亦 證 明 了 希 拉 莉 絲 韻 眼 光 獨 到 ， 演 技 細 膩 迫 人 。

榮 升 影 后 的 希 拉 莉 絲 韻 馬 上 成 為 荷 里 活 新 寵 ， 主 演 了 多 部 巨 星 賣 座 片 ， 包 括 與 阿 爾 柏 仙 奴 及 羅 賓 威 賓 斯 合 演 的 《 血 夜 追 兇 》 (Insomnia) ； 與 奇 洛 李 維 斯 及 姬 蒂 白 蘭 芝 合 演 的 《 驚 魂 眼 》 (The Gift) ； 以 及 與 艾 治 安 布 洛 迪 (Adrien Brody) 合 演 的 宮 廷 報 復 片 《 項 鏈 逸 事 》 (The Affair of the Necklace) 等 。 本 片 乃 希 拉 莉 絲 韻 首 部 主 演 的 科 幻 鉅 製 ， 其 太 空 人 造 型 ， 硬 朗 勇 敢 ， 演 出 逼 真 感 人 。

2003 年 ， 希 拉 莉 絲 韻 首 次 挑 戰 幕 後 工 作 ， 監 製 兼 主 演 新 作 《 11:14 》 ， 片 中 將 會 與 湯 漢 斯 兒 子 高 連 漢 斯 (Colin Hanks) 拍 檔 。 同 時 ， 希 拉 莉 絲 韻 亦 於 今 年 初 登 百 老 匯 舞 台 ， 主 演 《 The Miracle Worker 》 。

希 拉 莉 絲 韻 於 1997 年 下 嫁 演 員 Chad Lowe （ 演 員 Rob Lowe 的 弟 弟 ） ， 兩 人 識 於 微 時 ， 拍 《 沒 哭 聲 的 抉 擇 》 時 片 酬 亦 只 得 3000 美 元 的 希 拉 莉 絲 韻 ， 今 日 身 價 急 升 ， 2002 年 夫 婦 兩 人 更 在 紐 約 格 林 威 治 村 買 下 ４ 百 萬 美 元 豪 宅 。

男 人 味 爆 棚 艾 朗 伊 克

在 片 中 飾 演 地 球 物 理 學 家 左 舒 博 士 的 艾 朗 伊 克 (Aaron Eckhart) ， 最 為 人 熟 悉 的 相 信 是 他 在 《 伊 人 當 自 強 》 (Erin Brockovich) 的 演 出 。 片 中 他 以 野 性 長 毛 飛 形 象 出 現 ， 實 際 卻 是 溫 柔 體 貼 ， 在 鄰 屋 默 默 守 候 茱 莉 亞 羅 拔 絲 的 男 人 ， 確 實 迷 死 不 少 女 觀 眾 。

現 年 35 歲 ， 男 人 味 爆 棚 的 艾 朗 伊 克 ， 本 身 亦 是 浪 漫 到 極 的 人 。 他 在 加 州 長 大 ， 並 曾 在 英 國 、 澳 洲 生 活 ， 中 學 畢 業 後 就 飛 往 夏 威 夷 滑 浪 、 法 國 滑 雪 ， 一 玩 ３ 年 ， 才 到 大 學 讀 電 影 。 畢 業 後 馬 上 獲 電 視 台 起 用 的 艾 朗 伊 克 ， 於 1997 年 被 獨 立 導 演 尼 爾 拿 標 (Neil LaBute) 看 中 了 其 惡 形 惡 相 ， 找 他 演 出 了 《 In the Company of Men 》 、 《 Your Friends & Neighbors 》 及 《 急 救 愛 情 狂 》 (Nurse Betty) ， ３ 部 作 品 均 圍 繞 現 代 人 感 情 解 體 和 荒 謬 的 人 際 關 係 。 艾 朗 伊 克 的 演 技 旋 即 惹 來 荷 里 活 注 目 ， 自 此 贏 得 多 個 演 出 大 片 的 機 會 ， 包 括 與 伊 莉 莎 白 舒 爾 (Elizabeth Shue) 合 演 的 《 親 親 小 妹 》 (Molly) 、 跟 阿 爾 柏 仙 奴 合 作 的 《 再 戰 星 期 日 》 (Any Given Sunday) 、 辛 潘 執 導 的 《 白 色 死 約 》 (The Pledge) ， 以 及 和 影 后 桂 莉 芙 柏 德 露 合 演 的 愛 情 片 《 情 詩 百 載 牽 》 (Possession) 。

艾 朗 伊 克 即 將 上 映 的 新 作 是 講 連 環 殺 人 狂 的 《 Suspect Zero 》 ， 他 將 首 次 與 嘉 莉 安 摩 絲 (Carrie-Anne Moss) 合 演 。

導 演 莊 艾 美 爾

炮 製 過 《 偷 天 陷 阱 》 (Entrapment) 、 《 似 是 故 人 來 》 (Sommersby) 、 《 疊 影 謀 殺 案 》 (Copycat) 等 多 部 超 級 卡 士 驚 慄 片 的 莊 艾 美 爾 (Jon Amiel) ， 乃 劍 橋 大 學 英 國 文 學 系 畢 業 生 ， 並 擁 有 近 十 年 的 舞 台 劇 經 驗 。 初 投 影 圈 時 ， 艾 美 爾 在 BBC 擔 任 剪 接 ， 隨 後 晉 升 為 導 演 。 他 執 導 的 紀 錄 劇 情 片 《 The Silent Twins 》 ， 探 討 孖 生 姊 妹 的 奇 特 世 界 和 她 們 的 獨 創 語 言 ； 接 著 導 演 的 電 視 連 續 劇 《 The Singing Detective 》 大 受 歡 迎 ， 並 贏 得 多 個 電 視 片 獎 項 。

1989 年 ， 艾 美 爾 執 導 的 首 部 電 影 《 Queen of Hearts 》 在 康 城 首 映 ， 並 在 多 個 影 展 上 得 獎 ， 包 括 蒙 特 利 爾 影 展 最 佳 影 片 獎 ， 以 及 在 伯 明 翰 節 中 被 選 為 史 上 一 百 齣 最 佳 英 國 片 之 一 。 翌 年 ， 艾 美 爾 進 軍 美 國 ， 首 部 作 品 《 Tune in Tomorrow 》 由 當 時 尚 未 竄 紅 的 奇 洛 李 維 斯 主 演 ， 影 片 在 多 維 爾 影 展 上 贏 得 公 眾 大 獎 。

THE CORE

Production Information

For reasons unknown, the earth's inner core has stopped rotating, causing the planet's electromagnetic field to rapidly deteriorate. Instantly, life around the globe begins to change dramatically. In Boston, 32 people with pacemakers, all within a 10-block radius, suddenly drop dead. In San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge collapses, sending hundreds of people plunging to their deaths. In London's Trafalgar Square, flocks of pigeons lose their ability to navigate, flying into panicked crowds, slamming into windshields and causing drivers to lose control of their cars. And in Rome, as thousands of tourists watch helplessly, an electrical superstorm reduces the ancient Roman Colosseum to rubble.

Scrambling to resolve the crisis, government and military officials call upon geophysicist Dr. Josh Keyes (Aaron Eckhart) and a team of the world's most gifted scientists to travel into the earth's core in a subterranean craft piloted by "terranauts" Major Rebecca "Beck" Childs (Hilary Swank) and Commander Robert Iverson (Bruce Greenwood). Their mission: Detonate a nuclear device that will reactivate the core and save the world from sure destruction.

Paramount Pictures Presents "The Core," an original science fiction thriller directed by Jon Amiel, the film is a David Foster Cooper Layne Sean Bailey Production. A Jon Amiel film, "The Core" stars Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Delroy Lindo, Stanley Tucci, D.J. Qualls, Richard Jenkins, Tch�mky Karyo, Bruce Greenwood and Alfre Woodard. The film is produced by David Foster, Cooper Layne and Sean Bailey, and co-produced by David Householter. The film is written by Cooper Layne and John Rogers.

Paramount Pictures is part of the entertainment operations of Viacom Inc., one of the world's largest entertainment and media companies, and a leader in the production, promotion and distribution of entertainment news, sports and music.

This film is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for sci-fi life/death situations and brief strong language.

ABOUT THE STORY

When unexplained catastrophes strike around the globe, geophysicist Dr. Josh Keyes (Aaron Eckhart) and French atomic weapons expert Dr. Sergei Leveque (Tch�mky Karyo) are summoned by General Thomas Purcell (Richard Jenkins) to Washington, D.C., to determine if covert enemy action is to blame. Working with his team at the University of Illinois, Keyes discovers the mystery behind the tragedies is more frightening than any act of war -- the earth's inner core has stopped rotating. As a result, the planet's electromagnetic field, which shields the earth from deadly solar radiation, is collapsing. If the problem is not resolved quickly, airplanes will start falling from the sky and everything electronic will be destroyed. Static discharge in the atmosphere will create "super-storms" with hundreds of lightning strikes per square mile, and deadliest of all, microwave radiation will literally cook the planet.

Terrified by his findings, Keyes seeks out the opinion of renowned geophysicist Dr. Conrad Zimsky (Stanley Tucci), an arrogant scientist who arrives at the same horrifying conclusion. Together, they determine that the only way to reactivate the core is to travel to it. But how? Man has walked on the moon and landed on Mars, but never has anyone dared to explore the inner, deepest regions of the earth…until now.

Living in a remote area of the Utah desert, a brilliant scientist, Dr. Ed "Braz" Brazzelton (Delroy Lindo), has developed an untested subterranean craft that they hope will be able to penetrate deep into the earth, even as far as the core. Now it is up to Keyes, a team of scientists and astronauts Major Rebecca "Beck" Childs (Hillary Swank) and Commander Robert Iverson (Bruce Greenwood), who have just been recruited as the world's first "terranauts," to drive this high-tech vessel into the earth, detonate a nuclear device and somehow restore balance to the planet. It's the ultimate leap of faith…not into outer space but into inner space, a journey into an unknown frontier where truly no man has gone before.

SCIENCE AND FICTION

Scientists, including Albert Einstein, have puzzled over the Earth's magnetic field for decades, and Einstein himself acknowledged that it presents "one of the most important problems in physics." Dr. Sten Odenwald, a Harvard Ph.D. in Astronomy concurs. "If the magnetic field of the earth suddenly changed, and this does happen naturally every 250,000 years or so, the consequences would be fascinating," says Odenwald. "Already geophysicists have begun to notice a decline in the strength of the earth's magnetic field. We don't really know if the decline is just a natural ripple, or the portent of something far more sinister."

In fact, it is this very unknown aspect of the film's subject that makes "The Core" not just another science fiction movie. Says producer David Foster: "We've seen sea adventures and space odysseys, but traveling into the core of the earth is largely unexplored territory."

Though inspired by both real and extrapolated science, "The Core" is ultimately driven by imagination. As director Jon Amiel points out, "Even the scientists can only speculate what's down there. They beam sound waves into the earth, and by the ways in which those sound waves are refracted, they can guess that there is an outer liquid core and an inner solid core of nickel and iron. But nobody knows for sure. Basically, the film is science faction: a good dollop of science, a considerable amount of fact and a wee bit of fiction!"

Something else that scientists don't know for sure is whether the earth's core would ever cease to function. Intense controversy still swirls around the core of our planet. Is the heat that it generates a product of cooling nickel and iron, or is there, as one theory suggests, a giant five-mile wide nuclear reactor of plutonium and uranium burning below us? Why do the magnetic poles seem to shift every quarter-of-a-million years or so?

"We used to think that space was the last frontier," says Amiel, "but there are actually enormous and unfathomable mysteries just a couple of thousand miles below our feet. One of the questions I think the movie asks, in a very interesting way, is what if you, an ordinary person, were thrown into a situation like this? Would you be a hero? What strengths would you bring to the task and what strengths might you be surprised to discover?"

Attracted to the character-driven aspects of the film as well as the provocative questions it evokes, "The Core" drew an exciting list of cast members, all proud to play heroes who risk their lives for mankind.

"This is a movie about a very special team of people on a mission to save the earth," says Aaron Eckhart. "I think that's very unique."

Hilary Swank couldn't agree more. "This movie tackles an interesting concept from a human point of view," she says. "It really gets to the heart of what this planet means to us."

"Jon Amiel really wants the audience to care about the people," observes Delroy Lindo. "He has a very well-placed concern that the special effects in the film not override the human beings in the story."

Keeping the action tense and exciting, while at the same time exploring the dynamics of the crew inside the ship, is definitely of primary importance to Amiel.

"Character conflict is the stuff of all good drama," says the director. "You take this unlikely group of people -- a characteristically shabby geophysics professor, a career NASA commander, a take-charge astronaut, a very attractive, dynamic woman who is the youngest female ever to go into space, a French nuclear physicist, an arrogant scientist and his colleague with whom he's had a 20-year rivalry -- and you have an absolutely perfect recipe for a wonderful, rich character brew."

Alfre Woodard describes the six-person crew as being like "all the different parts of your brain" and Stanley Tucci agrees, adding that all six people "become like one person in order to save mankind."

Turkish born Tcheky Karyo, who plays the Frenchman, Dr. Leveque, points also to the multiracial element inherent both in the ship's assembly team and its ethnically diverse terranauts. "There are cultural differences," he says, "but human beings are human beings all the same. And you need all these different people to save the world."

"The most enjoyable part of the film is how people of very disparate natures overcome tremendous obstacles," says Tucci. "They have to call on different parts of themselves that maybe they've never called upon before."

"This film has everything," observes Eckhart. "It has humor, a little bit of romance and a lot of heroism. And it definitely covers new ground."

Director Jon Amiel believes that audiences will have as much fun watching it as everyone had filming it. "No matter what, it's an exhilarating ride that's going to take people into a world they've never seen before."

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Producer/Co-writer Cooper Layne was on a visit to Hawaii when he saw magma from a volcano flowing down into the ocean and cooling as it hit the water. "I thought, wouldn't it be interesting if you could actually go into a volcano in some kind of a ship that could take you to the molten center of the earth?" Layne recalls. "And then I realized that the molten center of a volcano is really a spigot directly into the liquid core of the planet."

Thus, the idea for "The Core" was born. Layne then took the concept to producer David Foster, and together, with Layne's producing partner, Sean Bailey, the trio pitched the story to John Goldwyn at Paramount.

With over 25 production credits to his name, ranging from classics like "The Getaway" and "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" to more recent hits like "The River Wild" and "The Mask of Zorro," Foster knew a great idea when he saw one. He went to his friend, director Jon Amiel, with whom he'd wanted to work for years, and the intriguing story clinched the deal.

Once co-writer John Rogers was brought on board, the script was finalized, and the next order of business was to assemble a topnotch cast. Foster and Amiel knew it would attract high caliber actors, and they were right.

For Eckhart, the movie's "reluctant hero," it was not only the captivating script that interested him in the project, but also the chance to make a film everyone -- adults and kids -- could enjoy.

"This film is about people working together to save the planet," says Eckhart. "Not only am I proud of it, but I think it will get people thinking about our earth in a whole new way."

Hilary Swank, who plays one of the terranauts who pilot the subterranean craft toward the planet's core, was drawn to playing a strong character like Major Rebecca "Beck" Childs and she was excited to work with the film's director.

"I love Jon Amiel!" Swank exclaims. "And when I heard who my fellow cast members were going to be, I just couldn't resist working with such talent. Besides, how often does a fascinating character like a terranaut come into your path? The whole concept of the movie intrigued me."

"Moment to moment, the story is fun, interesting and quite humorous," says Bruce Greenwood, who plays Commander Iverson. "The dialogue was clever, too, and the relationships between the characters are polar enough to cause plenty of tension."

Stanley Tucci, who portrays the know-it-all scientist, was impressed with the script's balance between character development and action. "This is a really good ensemble piece in which everybody is able to show off his or her talents and have a good time. It will definitely make you think."

"There's an incredible world inside our planet," says Alfre Woodard, the woman who guides the terranauts as they make their way toward the core, "and no movie has ever explored it quite like this."

To add to the adventure and to lend authenticity to the film, director Jon Amiel paired his actors with appropriate advisors, including Caltech scientists, NASA astronauts, UCLA professors and military personnel.

D.J. Qualls, who portrays the computer genius "Rat," talked to a lot of hackers who'd been in jail and were now rehabilitated or working for the government. It was research that he found unexpectedly unnerving.

"I was looking at how these guys can manipulate computer data and it made me really afraid," says Qualls. "In fact, at one point, I felt like I didn't want to know any more. I'd learned enough about their capabilities."

Each actor added personal touches to his or her role. For example, Aaron Eckhart and Delroy Lindo went to Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena where they observed scientists at work. Lindo also watched films of scientists doing research, and found that "it was really stimulating to be exposed to that world."

Alfre Woodard, who plays the head of Mission Control, a position never held by a woman, sat down and charted out how she might have actually risen to such a high position. "I spoke to a scientist about the aerospace industry and the NASA program," says Woodard, "and I learned how women rise in the ranks. In the end, I knew my character's whole timeline -- where she was born, where she went to school, which job led to what position and how she managed in that world."

To play their roles of astronauts turned terranauts, Bruce Greenwood and Hilary Swank met with real-life astronauts Dr. Tom D. Jones and Colonel Susan Helms. Jones, now an aerospace consultant, writer and public speaker, who spent a total of 53 days in space, shared his flight experiences with Greenwood.

"It was very exciting. Tom showed me a video he took from space, and it was just fantastic," exclaims Greenwood. "Both astronauts were incredibly professional. In my eyes, all astronauts are true heroes."

Swank's meeting with Helms, the astronaut who lived at the U.S. space station for about two months, was especially interesting because at one time Swank had considered a career in space.

"Before I wanted to be an actress, I wanted to be an astronaut," Swank confesses. "I would still like to go into space at some point. It seems very spiritual, bigger than all of us, and I think that's something to always remember -- how small we really are in the whole scheme of things."

While the cast researched their roles, the design team rolled into action and found that creating the world of inner earth was a task with unlimited possibilities, yet oddly constrained by the expectations of the audience.

With this creative task, two issues emerged: past treatments of inner earth and limited knowledge among scientists about the earth's core. Talking about the only other movie to tackle the subject of inner-earth travel, the 1959 "Journey to the Center of the Earth," Jon Amiel says, "Jules Verne envisioned a group of gentle folk in Victorian tweeds walking to the center of earth and finding a big lizard, a giant lake and the lost city of Atlantis! We had the advantage of an extra 150 years of scientific knowledge, so we tried to set the record straight. If you're hoping for lost cities, I'm sorry, you're going to be out of luck!"

"Our film isn't about finding monsters or anything like that," adds Gregory L. McMurry, visual effects supervisor. "It's about real science. But because the information on inner space isn't as extensive as it is for outer space, we strove to create a reality that combines everything we could learn from science with a generous pinch of imaginative license."

To add a greater sense of reality to the film, Dr. Conrad Foster and Dr. Richard Terrile of JPL/Cal Tech were consulted on issues like the scale and size of things, how hot it gets in the core and what kind of material could conceivably withstand such a temperature. To create "Virgil," the subterranean ship, the designers went through a number of trial runs before hitting upon what everyone felt was right.

"A number of the designs were quite stunning," remembers producer David Foster, "but Jon Amiel felt they looked too much like 'Star Trek' or 'Star Wars' spaceships. So we thought, what is the most significant creature that bores through the earth, and when we came up with the earthworm, we knew we had it."

With the earthworm concept in mind, the next issue was deciding what, besides long and segmented, the craft would look like? Says Amiel of the creative process: "It was a huge challenge to design and build a craft that could believably make it to the center of the earth. How could it bore its way through solid material? How could it propel itself forward? How would it steer? We took as our three guiding paradigms the earthworm, the rocket and the submarine, and Virgil was born from a combination of those three concepts."

Building a life-size ship because filmmakers decided it would be better than shooting from miniatures, production designer Philip Harrison went to work. A large sound stage with a traveling crane was rented and Harrison took to the task as one would build a boat, putting up frames and building from there. In the end, the finished product came in at an awe-inspiring 200 feet in length and 30 feet in height. Putting the vessel's size into perspective, Jon Amiel says, "Imagine something the size of a 737 jet and the height of an Amtrak train and you'll have the idea."

Although all of the moving exteriors of the ship were created in the computer, the interior had to be very real.

"Instead of a futuristically sleek and shiny interior, we went for a look that was dark, earth-toned and brutally functionalist," says Amiel. "The ship had to look as though it was thrown together in three months with no time for the comforts of interior design. If you've ever had the frightening experience of seeing the interior of an airplane without all of those comforting panels that make us feel as though we're in a living room, what you'll see is miles of raw cable and pipe-work hitched together with plastic ties and duct tape. That's the look we tried for in the interior of Virgil."

"This meant that filming was done in fairly tight quarters," points out special effects supervisor Garry Elmendorf. "And because of that, the set was built with removable sections to allow a camera and crew inside to shoot the action."

To create the craft's motion, Elmendorf designed a system using air bags, which are much quieter than a hydraulic system. "These air bags were truck size, inflated as high as nine inches, and they could handle about 20,000 pounds apiece. Depending on what the cue might be, we could gently rock the ship, shake it or give it a good slam. In fact, we could give the actors about six to eight inches of travel in any direction, and make the ship dive a little, front to back."

One of the most challenging sets to create was the giant geode that Virgil bores through on its way to the earth's core. Production designer Philip Harrison, while researching geodes, discovered to his amazement that magnificent large-scale geodes really do exist deep within the earth. "They have these immense crystals that are about 30 feet long," says Harrison, who used approximately five miles of acrylic sheeting to create the full-size model crystals, many of which were up to 20 feet tall.

In addition to the geode, inner earth promises many more surprises - a labyrinth of volcanic tubes, the great inverted mountain scapes of the crust/mantle frontier, diamond fields with gems the size of city blocks and the astounding star-like inferno that lies at the heart of our planet. In total, over 400 visual effects shots were used to create these environments.

Shot around the globe in London, Paris, Rome, Montreal, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, "The Core" production crew began principal photography on December 9, 2001 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Exterior desert scenes were filmed in Utah, and additional filming was done aboard the aircraft carriers USS Constellation (CV-64) at the San Diego Naval Base and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) at Naval Station Everett, 25 miles north of Seattle, Washington.

ABOUT THE CAST

AARON ECKHART (Dr. Josh Keyes) earned considerable acclaim co-starring with Julia Roberts in "Erin Brockovich" for director Steven Soderbergh. Most recently, he starred in "Possession," opposite another of Hollywood's leading ladies, Gwyneth Paltrow. The film is directed by Neil LaBute, whom Eckhart also worked with on "In the Company of Men," "Your Friends & Neighbors" and "Nurse Betty," starring Ren�me Zellweger. Eckhart's other film credits include Sean Penn's "The Pledge," opposite Jack Nicholson, Oliver Stone's "Any Given Sunday," opposite Al Pacino and "Molly," opposite Elisabeth Shue. Upcoming, Eckhart will star in "Suspect Zero," opposite Ben Kingsley

HILARY SWANK (Major Rebecca "Beck" Childs) is best known for her role as Brandon Teena in "Boys Don't Cry," the critically-acclaimed film for which Swank won the 1999 Academy AwardR for Best Actress along with 19 more awards, including a Golden Globe and Best Actress prizes from the New York Film Critics, Los Angeles Film Critics, Chicago Film Critics and Broadcast Film Critics.

Swank recently starred in Christopher Nolan's "Insomnia" opposite Al Pacino and Robin Williams, and as a Comtesse Jeanne de la Motte-Valois in "The Affair of the Necklace." Her other film credits include "The Next Karate Kid" and Sam Raimi's "The Gift" with Cate Blanchett and Keanu Reeves.

This spring, Swank will make her Broadway debut as Annie Sullivan in a revival of "The Miracle Worker."

DELROY LINDO (Dr. Ed "Braz" Brazzelton) was most recently seen in David Mamet's "Heist," co-starring Gene Hackman and Danny DeVito, and notably, as Mr. Rose in "The Cider House Rules." Lindo garnered critical acclaim for his role as Rodney in Spike Lee's drama, "Clockers" and also worked with Lee on "Crooklyn" and "Malcolm X," the latter earning him an NAACP Image Award nomination.

Lindo's impressive filmography also includes such feature films as "The Last Castle," opposite Robert Redford, "The One," "Gone in 60 Seconds," opposite Nicolas Cage and Robert Duvall, "Ransom," for which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination for his role opposite Mel Gibson, "A Life Less Ordinary," with Cameron Diaz and Ewan McGregor, "Get Shorty," again with Hackman and DeVito, along with John Travolta, "Broken Arrow," "Feeling Minnesota," "Romeo Must Die," "Mr. Jones," "L'Exil du Roi Behanzin," "The Devil's Advocate," "Bright Angel," "Mountains of the Moon" and "First Time Felon."

On the small screen, Lindo recently portrayed Ricardo Thornton in the critically acclaimed CBS drama "Profoundly Normal." He also starred as Clarence Thomas in the Peabody Award winner, "Strange Justice," directed by Ernest Dickerson and co-starring Regina Taylor, Louis Gossett, Jr., Paul Winfield and Mandy Patinkin, and he portrayed baseball legend Satchel Paige in the stirring sports drama, "Soul of the Game."

On Broadway, Lindo appeared in August Wilson's "Joe Turner's Come and Gone," for which he received Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations, "Master Harold and the Boys" (Broadway & National Tour) and the Kennedy Center and Los Angeles productions of "A Raisin in the Sun" (Helen Hayes Award Nomination and NAACP Image Award Best Actor). Lindo has also worked Off-Broadway and extensively in regional theaters throughout the United States and Canada.

STANLEY TUCCI (Dr. Conrad Zimsky) was most recently in "Maid in Manhattan," starring Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes. He also starred in Barry Sonnenfeld's ensemble comedy, "Big Trouble," co-starring Tim Allen and Rene Russo, and in the Sam Mendes directed "Road to Perdition," alongside Tom Hanks, Jude Law and Paul Newman.

Tucci is not only an accomplished and gifted actor, but also a writer, director and producer. His most recent directorial effort was "Joe Gould's Secret," preceded by writer/director credits on "The Impostors" and the award-winning "Big Night."

Tucci's extensive film credits include Ed Burns' "Sidewalks of New York," Woody Allen's "Deconstructing Harry," "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "The Alarmist," "A Life Less Ordinary," "The Daytrippers," "Kiss of Death," "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle," "It Could Happen to You," "The Pelican Brief," "Prelude to a Kiss," "Billy Bathgate," "In the Soup," "Slaves of New York," "America's Sweethearts," opposite Julia Roberts, John Cusack, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Billy Crystal and the HBO drama "Conspiracy," for which he earned an Emmy nomination and won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Made-for-TV-Movie or Miniseries.

On stage, Tucci just wrapped his 5-month engagement on Broadway in "Frankie & Johnny in the Claire de Lune" opposite Edie Falco.

D.J. QUALLS (Rat) received critical acclaim for his portrayal of the geeky Kyle in the smash hit, "Road Trip," and as Dizzy Harrison/Gil Harris, a starring role written specifically for him in "The New Guy." His additional film credits include "Chasing Holden," "Comic Book Villains," "Lone Star State of Mind" and "Big Trouble."

RICHARD JENKINS (General Thomas Purcell) most recently appeared in Paramount's hit thriller "Changing Lanes" and the critically acclaimed "The Man Who Wasn't There." His other film credits include "Me, Myself & Irene," "Random Hearts," Snow Falling on Cedars," "There's Something About Mary," "Absolute Power," "Flirting with Disaster," (Independent Spirit Award Nomination, Best Supporting Actor), "The Indian in the Cupboard," "Little Nikita," "The Witches of Eastwick" and "Wolf." Jenkins recently completed filming "Intolerable Cruelty," and "The Mudge Boy."

Currently, Jenkins plays Nathaniel Fisher on HBO's hit series, "Six Feet Under." His additional telefilm credits include "Sins of the Father," "The Boys Next Door" and "And The Band Played On." For four years, he was the artistic director of the Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island.

TCHEKY KARYO (Dr. Sergei Leveque) recently appeared in "Kiss of the Dragon," written by Luc Besson, who directed Karyo in "The Messenger: The Story Joan Of Arc" and "La Femme Nikita." Karyo has also appeared in "The Patriot" with Mel Gibson, "Wing Commander," "My Life So Far," "Addicted to Love," "GoldenEye," "Bad Boys," "To Have and to Hold," "Crying Freeman," "Nostradamus" and many other films. Recently, he completed production on "The Transporter" and Neil Jordan's "Double Down."

BRUCE GREENWOOD (Commander Robert Iverson) starred as President John F. Kennedy opposite Kevin Costner in the critically acclaimed "Thirteen Days." His lengthy credits in film and television also include features such as "Double Jeopardy," with Ashley Judd and Tommy Lee Jones; "Rules of Engagement," again with Jones; "Below," directed by David Twohy; Chris Menges' "The Lost Son"; and "Here on Earth," opposite Josh Hartnett and Chris Klein.

Greenwood is a favorite of renowned director Atom Egoyan, having starred for him in both "Exotica" and "The Sweet Hereafter," and most recently appearing in "Ararat." He will next be seen starring with Harrison Ford and Hartnett again in this summer's "Hollywood Homicide."

ALFRE WOODARD has an impressive filmography, appearing in such films as Showtime's "Holiday Heart," for which she was nominated for a 2000 Best Actress Golden Globe Award, "K-PAX," opposite Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges and "Love & Basketball." Some of Woodard's other credits include the Wesley Snipes' production of "Down in the Delta," directed by Dr. Maya Angelou, Gurinder Chadha's "What's Cooking?," Lawrence Kasdan's "Mumford" and HBO's "Miss Evers' Boys," for which she received a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Television Miniseries or Movie.

Always the versatile performer, Woodard has also lent her voice to animation and recently portrayed Akela the cheetah mother in Paramount/Nickelodeon's feature "The Wild Thornberrys Movie," as well as providing the voice of a lemur in the summer blockbuster "Dinosaur." She also starred in the television mini-series event "A Wrinkle in Time," based on the hugely popular children's novels.

Upcoming projects for Woodard include "Radio," opposite Ed Harris and Cuba Gooding Jr. and "The Singing Detective," with Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr.

ABOUT THE FILMAKERS

JON AMIEL (Director) is an English Literature graduate from Cambridge University in England. After working in theatre for nearly ten years, he began his film career as a story editor for the BBC before moving on to directing. His documentary drama, "The Silent Twins," which explores the extraordinary world of twin sisters who invented their own language, was soon followed by his award-winning and critically acclaimed dramatic series, "The Singing Detective," hailed as a new benchmark in worldwide television viewing.

Amiel's 1989 feature directorial debut "Queen of Hearts" opened at the Cannes Film Festival, was named Best First Film at the Montreal Film Festival, won the Best British Feature Film Award at the Birmingham Festival and was recently named as one of 100 best British movies of all time. The British director then made his American debut with "Tune in Tomorrow," based on the novel Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter by Mario Vargas Llosa. The film, starring Keanu Reeves, Peter Falk and Barbara Hershey, won the Prix Publique at the Deauville Film Festival.

Amiel's recent credits include the thriller "Entrapment," starring Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones, the comedy "The Man Who Knew Too Little," starring Bill Murray and Joanne Whalley, the thriller "Copycat," starring Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter and "Sommersby," a period drama starring Richard Gere and Jodie Foster.

COOPER LAYNE (Producer/Co-writer) makes his feature film debut with "The Core," and he currently has three other feature scripts in development: "The Unlimiteds," "Dreadnaught" and "Helldorado." Layne also executive produced, with Sean Bailey, "The Emperor's Club," starring Kevin Kline. In addition, Layne and producer David Foster are developing several other motion picture projects, including "When the Gangs Came to London," a crime/adventure set during the Roaring 30s.

JOHN ROGERS (Co-writer) began his career as a stand-up comic in Canada, achieving international acclaim and garnering three Gemini Award nominations. In 1994, he appeared in the Showtime special "Just For Laughs," with Kelsey Grammer and Brett Butler, and went on to star in the sitcom pilot, "In the Mood." Rogers later served as writer/producer on the hit series "Cosby."

With action hero Jackie Chan, Rogers developed the animated series "Jackie Chan Adventures." His additional feature film credits include an adaptation of Matt Wagner's comic book series, "Mage," "Catwoman," "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "Rush Hour 2."

DAVID FOSTER (Producer), a native of New York City, grew up with ambitions of becoming a sportswriter like his idol, the late New York Times sports columnist Red Smith. To that end, he earned a B.A. in Journalism and Cinema from the University of Southern California.

During the Korean War, Foster wrote speeches for "Iron Mike" Daniels, the Commanding General of the U.S. Army Pacific, and those duties gave him training in public relations, a career he pursued after he completed his military service. He started in the mailroom at Rogers & Cowan and eventually left to co-found his own P.R. firm, handling such clients as Richard Attenborough, Jane Fonda, Faye Dunaway, Clint Eastwood, James Garner, Norman Jewison, Steve McQueen, Sam Peckinpah, Robert Redford, Peter Sellers and many others.

Upon the encouragement of several of his clients, Foster embarked on a producing career in 1970, and in 1971, he produced the Robert Altman classic, "McCabe & Mrs. Miller," starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie. Listed as one of the hundred best American films by the American Film Institute, Foster's first venture into motion picture producing not only won numerous awards, but the film now resides in the archives of New York's Museum of Modern Art.

Foster followed that success with other early hits such as "The Getaway," directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw, "The Drowning Pool," starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, "Heroes," starring Henry Winkler, Sally Field and Harrison Ford, John Carpenter's "The Thing," starring Kurt Russell, "Mass Appeal," with Jack Lemmon and Phillip Borsos' "The Mean Season," starring Kurt Russell and Mariel Hemingway.

Foster's impressive filmography also includes such credits as "Running Scared," "Short Circuit," "Short Circuit 2," "The River Wild," directed by Curtis Hanson and starring Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon, "The Mask of Zorro," directed by Martin Campbell and starring Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones, "Collateral Damage," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and "Hart's War," starring Bruce Willis and Colin Farrell.

Married with three sons, all of whom work in the entertainment industry, Foster is a frequent lecturer at his alma mater, the School of Cinema at the University of Southern California. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Producers' Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

SEAN BAILEY (Producer) is currently chief creative officer of LivePlanet, co-founded in June 2000 with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Chris Moore, which creates entertainment experiences that combine traditional media, new media and the physical world. As CCO, Bailey oversees the creative direction, production and disposition of LivePlanet's properties. Bailey is an executive producer of the LivePlanet/HBO series "Project Greenlight" and co-creator and executive producer of the LivePlanet/ABC series "Push, Nevada."

Bailey's most recent producing credits include the drama "Matchstick Men," directed by Ridley Scott and starring Nicolas Cage. He is also the executive producer of "the Emperor's Club," starring Kevin Kline and directed by Michael Hoffman. Bailey also produced the film "Best Laid Plans," starring Reese Witherspoon.

JOHN LINDLEY, ASC (Director of Photography) is one of the most respected cinematographers working in the business today. His credits include "Lucky Numbers," "You've Got Mail" and "Michael," all for director Nora Ephron. His other film credits include "Pleasantville," "Money Train," "I Love Trouble," "The Good Son," "Sneakers," "Father of the Bride," "Field of Dreams," "True Believer," "The Serpent and the Rainbow" and most recently Paramount Pictures' "The Sum of All Fears."

PHILIP HARRISON (Production Designer) has an impressive list of credits including "The Musketeer," "The Relic," "Sudden Death," "Timecop," "Stay Tuned," "Outland" and "Hanover Street," all for director Peter Hyams. His additional credits include "Malice," "Bird on a Wire," "Mississippi Burning," "Pennies from Heaven," "Stakeout," "White Nights," "The Razor's Edge," "52 Pick-Up," "Valentino," "Lisztomania" and the James Bond thriller "Never Say Never Again," among many others.

TERRY RAWLINGS, A.C.E. (Editor) has a growing list of credits which includes "Watership Down," "The Musketeer," "Entrapment," "U.S. Marshals," "The Saint," "GoldenEye," "Alien," "Alien3," "F/X," "Blade Runner," "Chariots of Fire," "Yentl" and "No Escape."

DAN LESTER (Costume Designer) worked previously with Jon Amiel on "Sommersby," as well as with production designer Philip Harrison on "The Relic," "Spawn," "Timecop" and "Sudden Death." On the small screen, Lester received an Emmy nomination for his work as co-designer with Winnie Brown on the miniseries "Dallas: The Early Years," and he also worked on the hit series "C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation." Some of Lester's additional feature credits include "Little Monsters," "The Getaway," "Judgment Night" and "Used People."

GREGORY L. MCMURRY (Visual Effects Supervisor) has been in visual effects since 1979, having worked on the benchmark visual effects for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," "Blade Runner," "Close Encounters of a Third Kind," "Brainstorm" and "2010: The Year We Make Contact." McMurry has worked extensively, conceptualizing visual effects shorts that integrate digital, 3D, miniature and physical effects as well as designing complex digital and mechanical visual effects equipment. A pioneer in the use of digital effects, he specializes in projects that require a wide array of effects techniques. His credits include "Queen of the Damned," "Jingle All the Way," "Sudden Death," "Timecop," "Out to Sea," "Waiting to Exhale," "Miracle on 34th Street" and "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey."

One of the foremost talents in film music today, CHRISTOPHER YOUNG (Composer) has already scored an impressive number of successful films in a variety of genres, all with strikingly original music.

Born in 1959 in Red Bank, New Jersey, Young graduated from Hampshire College, Massachusetts, with a B.A. in music and did graduate work at North Texas State University before moving to California in the early 1980s. Within a few years, his unique abilities brought him to the attention of major studios and name directors. He has received two Emmy nominations for his work on the films "Last Flight Out" and the critically acclaimed HBO picture "Norma Jean & Marilyn." Winner of the Saturn Award for Best Score for the feature "Hellbound: Hellraiser II," he was named "Composer of the Year" by Scorelogue.com.

Young's other films include "Bandits," "The Shipping News," "The Glass House," "Swordfish," "Sweet November," "The Hurricane," "In Too Deep," "Urban Legend," "Rounders," "Entrapment," "Set It Off," "Hush, "The Man Who Knew Too Little" and "Murder at 1600."

DAVID HOUSEHOLTER (Co-Producer) is currently producing "Elf" (in production) for New Line Cinema. Householter's other credits include producer on "Clockstoppers," starring Jesse Bradford, Paula Garces and French Stewart, first assistant director on "The Nutty Professor," and "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and production manager on "Little Nicky," "Mystery Men" and "Mercury Rising."

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