On the heels of their six-time Academy Award®-winning smash, La La Land, Oscar®-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling re-team for Universal Pictures’ First Man, the riveting story of NASA’s mission to land a man on the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the years 1961-1969. First Man stars Academy Award nominee Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong and premiered as the opening film at 75th Venice International Film Festival. The film received rave reviews from critics and festival-goers alike and is scheduled release in India on October 12 to enthrall the Indian audiences.
First Man is a visceral, first-person account, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the movie will explore the sacrifices and the cost—on Armstrong and on the nation—of one of the most dangerous missions in history. Joining Gosling is Prime-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award Winning actress Claire Foy who portrays the passionate, indomitable, unsung hero Janet Armstrong –Neil’s wife and the woman who helped make these times monumental. Written by Academy Award® winner Josh Singer (Spotlight), the drama is produced by Wyck Godfrey & Marty Bowen (The Twilight Saga, The Fault in Our Stars) through their Temple Hill Entertainment banner, alongside Chazelle. Isaac Klausner (The Fault in Our Stars) executive produces and Dream Works Pictures co-finances the film.
Speaking about the film, director Damien Chazelle said, “There are many other stories that tell about the moon landing, but I wanted to know what it felt like in all the years leading up to that first footstep on the moon—as well as what it felt like to be that man who put the first footprint on the moon. Only a handful of people in history have ever gone to the moon, and Neil Armstrong was first. Even more importantly, it’s an emotional story of a guy who’s trying to be a father and husband while undergoing this cosmic journey.”
Gosling and Foy are joined on screen by an accomplished troupe portraying the men selected for the Gemini Program alongside Armstrong—Jason Clarke (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) as Ed White, Patrick Fugit (Gone Girl) as Elliot See, Ethan Embry (Netflix’s Grace and Frankie) as Pete Conrad, Pablo Schreiber (STARZ’ American Gods) as Jim Lovell, Christopher Abbott (HBO’s Girls) as David Scott, Corey Stoll (Netflix’s House of Cards) as Buzz Aldrin, Skyler Bible (Socially Awkward) as Richard F. Gordon, and Shea Whigham (Non-Stop) as Gus Grissom.
Playing the men in command of these early missions are Kyle Chandler (Game Night) as Director of Flight Operations Deke Slayton and Ciarán Hinds (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) as Bob Gilruth, the first Director of the Space Center. They are joined by Lukas Haas (The Revenant) as command space module pilot Mike Collins and Cory Michael Smith (TV’s Gotham) as Roger Chaffee, Grissom and White’s fellow ill-fated comrade on the Apollo Command Module, which was destroyed during a pre-flight test at Cape Canaveral. Also joining the performers is Olivia Hamilton (La La Land) as Pat White, who serves as a daily reminder to the closely knit neighborhood of the real threat they’re all facing.
Watch Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong in First Man in theaters October 12 onward.
