Metroid III

Metroid III is a 2006 American science fiction fantasy action film co-written and directed by Louis Leterrier, written by Steven Zillian and Cameron Crowne, and co-produced by Charlie Kaufman and Tim Bevam and starring Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Christoph Waltz, Tim Roth, and Jamie Lee Curtis. It is the third installment in the Metroid film series and the final film in the original Metroid trilogy, following 2003's Metroid II. In the film, Samus Aran, who travels to planet Zebes to retrieve an infant Metroid creature stolen by Ridley, leader of the Space Pirates.

Christopher Nolan, who had directed the two previous films, Metroid (2001) and Metroid II, decided to leave the sequel to work on Batman Begins. Nolan had not even defined the storyline for a third film. Michael Bay, who was initially hired as the new director, left due to personal and professional issues to work on The Island (2005), and was replaced with Leterrier. Filming took place from November 2004 to October 2005 with a budget of $210 million, and was consequently the most expensive film made at the time of its release. It had extensive visual effects created by 11 different companies.

Metroid III premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26, 2006, and was released in the United States on December 5, 2006. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who considered it an improvement over its predecessors. It was a commercial success, grossing over $397 million against a $150 million budget. It was followed by Metroid Prime in 2011.