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Chuck Noland's (Tom Hanks) screen-matched Wilson volleyball from Robert Zemeckis' Cast Away. During his four years stranded alone on a desert island following a plane crash, Noland created Wilson, his only companion, out of a volleyball he found in one of several FedEx packages that washed ashore. Distinctive patterning in the handprint paint, as well as intentional points of distress applied to this volleyball, screen-match it to multiple shots from the pivotal sequence where Noland spoke with Wilson while he constructed a raft in a final desperate bid to leave the island.
During development on the film, screenwriter William Broyles, Jr. intentionally stranded himself on a beach to simulate the experiences of his lead character. According to Broyles, a soccer ball washed ashore during this process, ultimately resulting in the creation of Wilson.
Upon release, Cast Away became the third-highest-grossing film of 2000, earning more than $429 million in worldwide box office receipts and two Academy Award® nominations, including one for Hanks. In its wake, Wilson - a piquant reminder in the film of Noland's life with Kelly Frears (Helen Hunt) and symbol of his indestructible fortitude - became a beloved pop culture icon, earning Teen Choice and MTV Movie + TV Award® nominations for its "performance" as well as the first-and-only Critics Choice Award for Best Inanimate Object.
Only 12 Wilsons are believed to have been made for the production. The Wilson Sporting Goods Company made a special run of volleyballs for the production that, unlike the standard ball, only had "Wilson" printed on one side of the ball. The team behind the Wilson props worked with survival expert Steve Watts to put together the Wilsons using only tools Chuck had on the island, including palm fronds, petiole, and driftwood gathered from local parks and beaches. The end result was a collaborative effort between Set Decoration, Paint, Props, the Art Department, and even Tom Hanks himself.
This volleyball - one of the finest examples ever to come to market - originates from the 20th Century Fox Archives, where it was given item number "CST0023." The most notable features of this ornately detailed Wilson are its stitched mouth and mohawk-like stalk "hair," alterations made during filming in Fiji which differ from most of the Wilsons seen throughout the film and make this unique Wilson a rarity. Made from off-white leather, the volleyball exhibits intentionally heavy distressing by production to appear worn, waterlogged, and dirtied. It features a faded brown-and-red "face" representing Chuck's bloody handprint painted on front; a fabric-stitched "mouth" at center; and tobacco stalks inserted to the torn-open top to resemble hair.
Dimensions: 8" x 7.75" x 13.5" (20.5 cm x 19.75 cm x 34.5 cm)
Additional Provenance: 20th Century Fox Archives Certificate of Authenticity and Letter of Authenticity Fox Archives executive director Alan Adler.
Estimate: $150,000 - 300,000