Ryan Gosling is set to star in 'Project Hail Mary'.
Ryan Gosling
The 39-year-old actor will both act in and produce an adaptation of the new novel written by Andy Weir, who previously penned 'The Martian', which was turned into a movie starring Matt Damon in 2015.
The novel, which is also titled 'Project Hail Mary', will be published by Random House in Spring 2021, with the film adaptation likely to follow closely behind.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, 'Project Hail Mary' centres on an astronaut - who will be played by Gosling in the movie - on a spaceship that is tasked with saving the planet.
Gosling will also produce the flick alongside Ken Kao, whilst MGM - which is now headed by Michael De Luca - is in negotiations to acquire the package.
'Project Hail Mary' will come as a return to the world of space and science fiction for Gosling, who was last seen on screens playing Neil Armstrong in Damien Chazelle's 'First Man' in 2018.
Gosling previously revealed his role in 'First Man' led his two young daughters - Esmeralda, five, and Amada, three - to believe he actually worked on the moon after visiting him on set.
He explained: "They came to set. They came on this day where I was shooting a launch scene, so I was in the space suit and pretending to launch.
"I think they think I'm an astronaut now. My oldest said the other day, she pointed to the moon and said, 'That's where you work, right?' "
And his wife Eva Mendes admitted she and Ryan have been happy to let the girls think the actor is an astronaut.
She said: "They now think papi's an astronaut! We haven't corrected them yet, we're just like, 'Cool!' "
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