Just about to skip into UK cinemas with the toe-tapping La La Land, Ryan Gosling and director Damien Chazelle are already set to work together again. Gosling will play astronaut Neil Armstrong in Chazelle's biopic First Man.
Spotlight co-writer Josh Singer penned the adaptation from James Hansen's book First Man: The Life Of Neil Armstrong. Armstrong was, of course, the first man to walk on the surface of the moon. First Man chronicles his time as a Navy bomber flyer and then test pilot, where he pushed planes to the limit and beyond. In the 1960s, he was recruited to work for NASA, rising up the ranks and ending up leading 1969’s Apollo 11 mission to the moon.
Chazelle has been attached to the film since just after Whiplash, and Gosling has always been his first choice for the role. Gosling was first mentioned in connection with it in November, 2015, but various other commitments – such as the small matter of Blade Runner 2049 – were in the way. Decks now clear, however, all the deals are signed, and the film is finally on the launching pad.
Shooting is expected to take place during 2017. Hansen's book is published in the UK by Simon & Schuster.