Mission to Mars (2000) is a science fiction film directed by Brian De Palma from an original screenplay written by Jim Thomas, John Thomas, and Graham Yost. In 2020, a manned Mars exploration mission goes awry. American astronaut Jim McConnell (Gary Sinise) coordinates a rescue mission for a colleague. Principal support actors were Tim Robbins, Don Cheadle, Connie Nielsen, Jerry O'Connell, and Kim Delaney. Film inspiration was partly from the Disney attraction of the same name, to be the second Disney film based on a theme park attraction, following the 1997 made-for-TV movie Tower of Terror.