Tom Hanks’ ‘Finch’ includes a cameo from TAE Technologies

TAE Technologies is the world’s largest private fusion energy company. But in Tom Hanks’ new sci-fi drama “Finch,” TAE is transformed into a “space energy fusion” company – all thanks to a bit of movie magic.

Hanks stars in the film as a TAE robotics engineer who survives a cataclysmic solar flare event. Concerned about his beloved dog’s future in the wasteland that’s left behind, Hanks’ “Finch” creates Jeff, a robot companion for his canine, Goodyear.

When another natural disaster hits, the part mammal, part android family sets out on an adventure to find a more hospitable home.

“Finch” is directed by Miguel Sapochnik (“Game of Thrones”) and reunites Hanks with his “Forrest Gump” director Robert Zemeckis, who serves here as executive producer. While the film doesn’t reflect the actual TAE – we’re in California, and our fictional alter-ego is based in St. Louis – it does include a few realistic easter eggs.

Watch closely and you’ll spot TAE Technologies’ name and logo throughout the film, including on Finch’s uniform and badge. And we can certainly relate to the film’s emphasis on maintaining hope in the face of crisis.

“There’s this line, ‘Hope is what keeps us alive,’ and it felt like we needed to lean into that,” Sapochnik said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “The world’s been going through a lot of turmoil and we realized we didn’t want to add to it, we wanted to somehow find some meaning in all the chaos.”

Moviegoers should also listen closely for Finch’s “very, very vibrant stories about a smart guy who works at a tech company and does all of this magnificent stuff,” as Hanks said in an interview with Collider. Those stories remind us of TAE’s technology co-founder, Dr. Norman Rostoker.

TAE was founded in 1998 to develop the ultimate clean energy solution: a commercial fusion power source that is compact, cost-effective, capable of sustaining the planet for centuries, and safe in every way. The patented technologies created for TAE’s unique approach to fusion energy are now being leveraged for adjacent innovations in electric vehicles, power management, and more.

While we don’t make robots, we do work tirelessly on developing technology that will put us on a course for a better future than the desolate landscape seen in “Finch.” And when it comes to finding solutions that protect and preserve life on Earth, we share Finch’s philosophy: “We do this together.”

Explore more about TAE’s history in the video below, and learn about our mission with our FAQs.

“Finch” arrives on Apple TV+ on November 5th.