LOS ANGELES – Ryan Gosling will portray Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, in a new biopic helmed by director Damien Chazelle, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Gosling and Chazelle are working on the big-screen adaptation of James Hansen’s book First Man: A Life of Neil A. Armstrong.
Gosling has reportedly been tied to the project since late last year, but only inked a deal to star in the film this month.
Variety reported the film is expected to begin shooting in early 2017. Spotlight screenwriter Josh Singer penned the script for the drama.
‘First Person to Walk on Moon’
Josh Singer – who earned an Oscar for his Spotlight screenplay – wrote First Man based on James Hansen’s biography, First Man: A Life of Neil A. Armstrong.
After serving as a Navy pilot in World War II, Armstrong joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the precursor to NASA, as a test pilot and engineer. His first mission as an astronaut was Gemini 8 in 1962, during which he performed the first successful docking of two vehicles in space.
On July 21st, 1969 he became the first person to walk on the moon as part of Apollo 11.
