October Sky

This article is about the 1999 American biographical film directed by Joe Johnston. For the memoir by Homer Hickam, see October Sky (book). For other uses, see October Sky (disambiguation).

October Sky
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoe Johnston
Screenplay byLewis Colick
Based onOctober Sky
by Homer Hickam
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyFred Murphy
Edited byRobert Dalva
Music byMark Isham
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • February 19, 1999 (1999-02-19) (United States)
Running time
107 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25 million[2]
Box office$34.7 million[2]

October Sky is a 1999 American biographical drama film directed by Joe Johnston, and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Chris Owen, and Laura Dern. The screenplay by Lewis Colick, based on the memoir of the same name, tells the true story of Homer H. Hickam Jr., a coal miner's son who was inspired by the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 to take up rocketry against his father's wishes and eventually became a NASA engineer.

October Sky is based on the lives of four young men who grew up in Coalwood, West Virginia.[3] Principal photography took place in rural East Tennessee, including Oliver Springs, Harriman and Kingston in Morgan and Roane counties. The film was a moderate box office success and received very positive critical reception. It continues to be celebrated in the regions of its setting and filming.[4][5]

October Sky is an anagram of Rocket Boys, the title of the 1998 memoir upon which the film is based. It is also used in a period radio broadcast describing Sputnik 1 as it crossed the "October Sky". Homer Hickam said that "Universal Studios marketing people got involved and they just had to change the title because, according to their research, women over thirty would never see a movie titled Rocket Boys."[6] The book was later re-released with the name in order to capitalize on interest in the film.[7][8]

  1. ^ "October Sky". BBFC. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021. 107m 24s
  2. ^ a b "October Sky". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  3. ^ "Coalwood, West Virginia". www.coalwoodwestvirginia.com. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". HomerHickam.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2008.
  7. ^ "Coalwood Boy". Washington Post. October 8, 2001. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  8. ^ "October Sky (The Coalwood Series #1) by Homer Hickam". Goodreads. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.