‘First Man’: Damien Chazelle’s Neil Armstrong Biopic Starring Ryan Gosling Will Be a ‘Mission Movie’ With Lots of Action

In case the idea of Ryan Gosling and Damien Chazelle re-teaming for a Neil Armstrong biopic sounds boring to you, the film’s screenwriter would like to assure you that “First Man” has “at least five major set pieces that are action.” Josh Singer, who won an Academy Award for co-writing “Spotlight” a few years ago, shared some insights with the Boston Globe.

“Damien had a very clear vision from the outset. He said, ‘Can we get across how challenging this was? Can we get across the visceral nature of this?’ The space program has been depicted, tonally, on the softer side in the past,” Singer said.

“Damien said, ‘I want to be terrified the entire time.’ It’s one of the earliest things we talked about. Neil’s heroism isn’t because he landed on the moon, it’s because he had the wherewithal to live through it all.”

“This is 100 percent a mission movie. It’s about going to the moon as seen through the eyes of the guy who got there,” added Singer. “We have at least five major set pieces that are action, and if your heart rate doesn’t go through the roof, if you’re not gripping the edge of your seat the entire times, I’ll be shocked.” Read the full interview here.