Astronaut Butch Wilmore’s daughter pitches Hollywood movie on dad’s epic space journey

fter an unexpected nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS), NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore has finally returned home. His daughter, Daryn Wilmore, in a TikTok video on Wednesday, celebrated his safe return after prolonged delays with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft.

A mission that lasted far longer than planned

Originally planned as a one-week stay, Wilmore and fellow astronaut Suni Williams’ mission stretched to 286 days due to technical issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. The duo finally splashed down off the coast of Florida at 5:57 p.m. ET on Tuesday (March 18).

“Hi, everyone. Welcome to the very final installment of ‘My Dad is Stuck in Space,’ because he’s not anymore,” Daryn Wilmore said in her video.

A low-key homecoming

Despite the dramatic journey, the Wilmore family is keeping celebrations simple.

“We’re not having a party for him,” Daryn said. “We might want to go to my uncle’s house. ... We might just have a little get-together with a few close friends, but no big party or anything.”

Instead, she’s preparing a personal welcome with a homemade pecan pie—her father’s favorite dessert.

Making up for lost time

Daryn has also put together a list of activities to help reconnect with her father after nearly a year apart.

“I actually have a list that’s all his favorite things and things that we used to do together, to hopefully do them these next few days that he’s here before I go back to school, or just in the coming months that he’s back, just to do what we have loved doing and make up for some lost time,” she said.

Medical tests and readjusting to earth

Before fully settling back in, Wilmore will undergo a series of medical evaluations to assess the effects of long-term space travel.

“He’s going to spend the next few days going in, tests, lots of medical stuff, because they’re still technically part of the experiment of human spaceflight, and just get re-acclimated to gravity and the routine back here on Earth,” Daryn explained.

A story fit for Hollywood?

As she wrapped up her update, Daryn couldn’t help but pitch an idea to filmmakers about her father’s incredible journey.

“Hollywood, I think a movie should happen. I think a movie should happen. If you want to call me, I have ideas,” she said. “‘Apollo 13,’ that’s a great movie. But do you know what could even be better? This movie right here.”

Wilmore’s long-awaited return marks another chapter in space exploration history—and perhaps, as his daughter suggests, a future blockbuster in the making.