One of the hottest films to premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was short film turned feature length Jazz movie Whiplash, directed by Damien Chazelle. The critically acclaimed filmmaker is now said to be setting his sights on the Neil Armstrong biopic First Man.
Although plot details are yet to be confirmed, the film will be based on James Hansen’s book First Man: A Life of Neil A. Armstrong, which explores the astronaut’s life through exclusive interviews with NASA and the Armstrong family. Aside from making those giant leaps for mankind back in 1969, the extraordinary Armstrong also served in the Navy for many years and was a university professor. He died in 2012, aged 82.
This project has been lingering around for at least a decade now, and Warner Bros. even once reported that Clint Eastwood would be producing and directing the film. It has been rumoured that screenwriter Josh Singer (The Fifth Estate) will pen the movie, but there is no telling at this point just how much of Armstrong’s life the film will cover. To be quite honest, all we really know is that a Neil Armstrong biopic is happening and Chazelle may be directing – is that not excitement enough?!
If you are unfamiliar with Chazelle’s work, make sure you check out Whiplash which hits theatres on October 10. Chazelle is also working on La La Land currently, which is a musical starring Miles Teller (Whiplash) and Emma Watson (The Perks of Being A Wallflower), so if he does choose to take on First Man, it could be a while before production begins.
#Peace.Love.FirstMan
