Donald Hotton as Dr. Landan Marks Alan Fudge as Robert Jenkins, project manager for project Brainstorm Joe Dorsey as Hal Abramson Bill Morey as James Zimbach Jason Lively as Chris Brace Georgianne Walken as Wendy Abramson Production To prepare for the film, Trumbull took most of the key cast and crew to the Esalen Institute, an experimental research facility in Northern California known for its new-age classes and workshops. In September 1981, the cast and crew traveled to North Carolina to begin six weeks of shooting at locations including the Elion-Hitchings Building in Research Triangle Park and Duke University, then returned to the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios in Culver City, California in November to film interior scenes. Natalie Wood's death The film was nearly scuttled by Natalie Wood's death during a production break in November 1981. By this time, Wood had already completed all of her major scenes, but due to mounting financial problems, MGM took Wood's death as an opportunity to terminate the already troubled production. "When she died," said Trumbull, "all the sets were locked and frozen on all the stages. No one could get in or out without special permission while all the negotiations took place." Trumbull believed that financially strapped MGM simply got cold feet about providing the remainder of the funds to complete Brainstorm. "MGM's problem was that insurance institution Lloyd's of London, when it took depositions from me and other people, realized that the film could be finished. Why should they pay an insurance claim for something that really wasn't damaged goods?" When MGM refused to pay for the film to be completed, Lloyd's of London provided $2.75 million for Trumbull to complete principal photography and an additional $3.5 million towards post-production. Meanwhile, other studios showed interest in buying Brainstorm from MGM to release as their own production. "MGM decided to allow Lloyd's of London to offer the film to many of the major studios in town," said Trumbull. "Several of them made bids to MGM. And the studio suddenly realized that a lot of other people in this town were excited about Brainstorm, and were ready to put up millions of dollars. MGM figured they'd look like jerks if they let it go and it turned out to be a big success. So they finally decided to work out this deal where Lloyd's of London would put up the remaining money and become a profit