Guide Note

The Day the Earth Stood Still is a 2008 remake of the classic 1951 sci-fi film of the same name, which stars Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly. The film is about Klaatu (Keanu Reeves, an alien being who visits Earth with his his giant robot Gort in order to relay a message to all humans. Klaatu offers the humans either peace and enlightenment or total destruction, depending on how the humans choose to live their lives. He meets a woman named Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly) who helps to show Klaatu that humans are in fact capable of doing good and being civilized.

2008 Fast Facts

1. Release Date: December 12, 2008
2. Director: Scott Derrickson
3. Producers: Paul Harris Boardman, Gregory Goodman, and Erwin Stoff
4. Writers: Ryne Douglas Pearson and David Scarpa
5. Studio: 20th Century Fox

1. Keanu Reeves as Klaatu
2. Jennifer Connelly as Helen Benson
3. John Cleese as Dr. Barnhardt
4. Jaden Smith as Jacob
5. Kathy Bates

The original Day the Earth Stood Still starred Michael Rennie as Klaatu, Patricia Neal as Helen Benson, Bill Gray as Bobby Benson and Lock Martin as Gort. It was directed by Robert Wise, produced by Julian Blaustein, and written by Edmund H. North (based on the story by Harry Bates). It was released by 20th Century Fox on September 28, 1951.