Universal puts FIRST MAN in motion
It's one small step for Man, One Giant Leap for a film biopic!
I never got around to reviewing it but the best documentary I saw last year was easily In the Shadow of the Moon, a fascinating look at the small number of men who have left out planet and actually stepped foot on a surface not called Earth. I would highly recommend it. What am I saying - I am recommending it. There seems to be a revival for space movies brewing. We already know that Doug Liman (Jumper) will next helm a fictional space exploration to the moon with Jake Gyllenhaal which should be out before the end of the decade for Dreamworks. And now comes word of potentially a huge project from Universal. They have acquired the rights to The First Man: The Life of Niall Armstrong, a biopic written by NASA expert and former astronaut James R. Hansen.
Nicole Perlman will adapt the screenplay. She is a newcomer to screenwriting who has already completed a script about the aftermath and investigation of the doomed Challenger space mission of the 80's. She said this to Variety..."The closer he got to the moon, the further away he became from his family," Perlman said. "He had a family tragedy before Apollo that turned him into this driven astronaut, and he became such a perfect hero that while Buzz Aldrin was announced to be the first man on the moon, NASA reversed its decision because Neil was regarded as more heroic."Armstrong's life after the moon has become something of much discussion. He angered and confused many when he didn't adopt the hero status that the public wanted him to be after such an incredible feat but for others he became a hero by simply being a quiet family man with an ordinary life. Is he not a hero for just being normal or has it gone further than that, is he a depressed recluse? I REALLY hope the movie looks into Armstrong's life after the moon landings in great detail and reading some of the reviews of the book online it would seem the author does go very personal with Armstrong. If Apollo 13 is the best and truest biopic of a space mission then this movie has a lot to live up to. And that's before you even mention an iconic name such as Neil Armstrong.