It would appear that the Sinister Six’s gain is Mars’ loss. How so? **Cabin In The Woods **director Drew Goddard, who had been attached to direct space thriller The Martian, has dropped out to focus on his Sony (and Netflix, with Daredevil) duties. But it’s not all bad news for 20th Century Fox, as Matt Damon is considering starring.
Taken from Andy Weir’s e-book, the film version of the story has been described as a hybrid of Apollo 13 and Cast Awa****y, with an American space explorer trapped on the Red Planet and forced to find a way to get back to Earth before his supplies run out. While it certainly has thematic overtones that may put you in mind of more recent orbital hit Gravity, The Martian is said to be a very different take on space suit survival.
Damon, who has been on something of a sci-fi kick recently with Elysium and his appearances in The Zero Theorem and Christopher Nolan’s upcoming Interstellar, is considering the lead, though his actually sitting down to negotiate a contract might depend on who Fox finds to replace Goddard in the director’s spot. With Elysium producer Simon Kinberg overseeing this one, chances are he may be patient.