Movies News
Ryan Gosling to Play Neil Armstrong for 'La La Land' Director Damien Chazelle
More than a year ago, Ryan Gosling was said to be courted for the role of iconic astronaut Neil Armstrong in a biopic from Damien Chazelle. Now, with the two of them a hot property together thanks to the success of La La Land, Variety reports they will reteam for the movie. Titled First Man, it will cover Armstrong’s life through the 1960s leading to his famous first steps on the Moon in 1969.
Josh Singer, who won an Oscar for his screenplay for Spotlight since that initial news, wrote the script based on James Hansen’s book First Man: A Life Of Neil A. Armstrong, published in 2005. The adaptation is on a fast track to the screen finally, with shooting expected in early 2017. Previously, Clint Eastwood was interested in directing. Armstrong died in 2012.
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Among the man’s life events on the way to space-traveller stardom was the tragic death of his young daughter in 1962. That is sure to be one of the hardships for Gosling to portray in the movie. We’ll also see how his NASA missions affect the rest of his family, including his first wife, Janet. Let it be known that La La Land‘s other lead, Emma Stone, would be great for that supporting role.
From Apollo 13 to Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Armstrong has already been portrayed on the big and small screen many times, some of them for obviously fictionalized accounts. First Man will be the most significant to focus specifically on Armstrong as the main character, though. While we wait for its completion, there are also plenty of documentaries on his story to check out.
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