Ryan Gosling Signs On To Andy Weir Astronaut Thriller ‘Project Hail Mary’

After experiencing Oscar buzz two years ago for his performance as Neil Armstrong in Damien Chazelle’s First Man, Ryan Gosling is making another deep space voyage. The actor officially signed on to star and produce in The Martian writer Andy Weir’s adaptation of his upcoming novel Project Hail Mary, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Project Hail Mary, which is expected to be published in the spring of 2021 by Random House, focuses on an astronaut who must save his home planet. The film is being compared to The Martian, in which Weir describes the two works as grounded in reality. Michael De Luca, who now heads MGM, entered negotiations to acquire the film at a gargantuan 7-figure deal. All of Hollywood was initially involved in a bidding war for Project Hail Mary before MGM pounced on Weir’s material. The studio also confirmed that Gosling will serve as a producer alongside Ken Kao.

Prior to his hiring at MGM, De Luca was eyeing to produce another of Weir’s works, a graphic novel he worked on with Amblin Partners entitled Cheshire Crossing. A third work of Weir’s, titled Artemis, is being worked on by Universal with Lego Movie writers Phil Lord and Chris Miller set to direct.