What if there was a network of satellites that could control the weather around the world? What if someone (or something?) took control of those satellites and started using them to wreak havoc, creating giant tornadoes and freezing airplanes out of the sky? That’s the thrilling premise of Geostorm, a new Hollywood disaster flick from a guy who produced Independence Day, which stars Gerard Butler and comes out in the US on October 20, according to its new trailer.

As the trailer description reads, “the world’s leaders came together to create an intricate network of satellites to control the global climate and keep everyone safe.” Putting aside the conflation of weather and climate (two related but different things), the idea of humanity deliberately altering the climate to create more favorable conditions does have a basis in reality through a burgeoning science called geoengineering. Scientists have proposed a number of schemes to help slow the warming of the Earth, including spraying reflective particles into the atmosphere, brightening clouds with saltwater, and fertilizing carbon dioxide-consuming plankton.

“The technology that controls the weather, controls the world”