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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Walt Disney Pictures was reported to have bought Jason Micallef’s screenplay Ground Control to Major Tom in 2012—not David Bowie’s song, catalog, likeness, or a broader set of “Major Tom” rights. Later trade reporting said Solstice Studios acquired the astronaut drama in 2020. Neither report establishes that a film was completed or released, and its current status remains unverified.
What did Disney acquire?
In April 2012, industry coverage reported that Disney purchased a romantic-comedy spec screenplay by Jason Micallef called Ground Control to Major Tom. Seth Gordon was reported as attached to direct. The screenplay’s plot was not made public in that account, and it said the connection to David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”—the source of the title phrase—was unclear.
The reported transaction was a screenplay purchase. It is not evidence that Disney bought Bowie’s music catalog, the rights to the song, Bowie’s likeness, or ownership of a standalone Major Tom character. The reporting does not establish those rights or any approval from Bowie’s estate.
How did the project change?
By February 2020, trade reporting described a later acquisition by Solstice Studios. The project was then presented as an astronaut drama, with Micallef writing and Gordon still reported as attached to direct. The premise involved a NASA ground-control expert and an astronaut who fall in love during a classified mission. When the astronaut’s ship is destroyed and he is presumed dead, she discovers he is alive and tries to help bring him home.
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| Date | Reported studio | Reported genre or premise | What the report establishes |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2012 | Walt Disney Pictures | Romantic-comedy screenplay; plot not disclosed in the cited account | A reported purchase of Micallef’s spec screenplay and Gordon’s reported attachment to direct. The Bowie-song connection was described as unclear. |
| February 2020 | Solstice Studios | Astronaut drama involving an astronaut and a NASA ground-control expert | A later reported acquisition, a public premise, and Gordon’s reported attachment. It does not establish a completed or released film. |
The 2012 coverage also described the sale as a mid-six-figure spec deal. That is a trade-reported figure, not an independently confirmed payment or evidence of a separate rights purchase.
What is known about the Bowie connection?
The established connection in the cited reporting is the title’s reference to “Space Oddity.” The 2012 account said it was unclear how Bowie would be referenced in the screenplay. The available reporting does not confirm a license to use the song, approval from Bowie’s estate, or rights to Bowie’s name or likeness. A title reference alone does not establish any of those permissions.
Rank #2
Was the film made or released?
The cited reports establish two stages in the project’s history: a screenplay purchase reported in 2012 and a later Solstice Studios acquisition reported in 2020. They do not establish the project’s current production status, a release, or a cancellation. A 2026 blog claim of a new Disney acquisition is not corroborated by the historical transaction reporting described here, so it should not be treated as confirmation of another deal.
Accordingly, the careful description is a reported screenplay acquisition and film project with unresolved current status—not a confirmed Disney purchase of Major Tom rights or a released movie.
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