“Cast Away,” the gripping survival drama directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks, took audiences on an emotional rollercoaster when it hit theaters in the year 2000.

In “Cast Away,” Tom Hanks plays the lead character, Chuck Noland, whose life takes a dramatic turn when his plane crashes in the South Pacific, leaving him stranded on a deserted island.

The film meticulously details Noland’s struggle for survival, his resourcefulness in adapting to his surroundings, and the emotional toll of prolonged isolation. His only companion, a volleyball named Wilson, became an iconic symbol of the film.

The film’s portrayal of a FedEx executive stranded on a deserted island for several years sparked curiosity and left many wondering whether this tale of isolation and resilience was based on a true story. Let’s see if the ‘Cast Away’ is inspired by one of the true incidents.

Is Cast Away Based on a True Story?

Cast Away is inspired by more than just Broyles’ meticulous preparation work. The film was inspired by Robinson Crusoe, and Elvis actor Tom Hanks had the notion to make a modern-day rendition of Daniel Defoe’s famous adventure narrative.

Hanks told The Hollywood Reporter that a news report about FedEx prompted him to write Cast Away. “I realized that 747s filled with packages fly across the Pacific three times a day,” says Hanks.

“What happens if (the plane) goes down?” he pondered. This question generated the idea for the film, which resulted in inventive product placement in Cast Away.

Cast Away, like Defoe’s historical fiction, was inspired by the lives of real-world adventurers. Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish castaway who spent four years on a Pacific island in the early 1700s, is regarded as the main inspiration for Defoe’s work.

After being rescued by an English expedition in 1709, Edward Cooke, a member of the rescue crew, wrote about Selkirk in his book, A Voyage to the South Seas and Round the World.

Cast Away, directed by Robert Zemeckis, also builds on the stories of other survivors to create an original story founded in fact. A variety of other real-life castaways inspired some of literature’s most famous legends, including Spanish sailor Pedro Serrano, who was supposedly shipwrecked on an island off the coast of Nicaragua in the first half of the 16th century.

Read More: Is Suburban Screams Based on True Story?

Ada Blackjack was another, sometimes referred to as a “female Crusoe”—she was a seamstress who became stranded on an island near Siberia in 1921 and was recovered two years later. These explorers and others like them influenced Tom Hanks’ Chuck Noland and his experiences on his island in Cast Away.