Matt Damon is set to star in ‘The Martian’.
The ‘Monuments Men’ actor is reportedly considering the lead role in the sci-fi drama, which is based on an e-book by Any Weir and described as a cross between ‘Apollo 13’ and ‘Cast Away’, with an American space explorer trapped on Mars and desperate to find a way back to Earth before his supplies run out.
While Damon – who has shot three sci-fi movies recently, ‘Elysium’, ‘The Zero Theorem’ and ‘Interstellar’ – is said to be keen on the movie, contract negotiations are currently up in the air following the departure of director Drew Goddard.
According to The Wrap, the ‘Cabin in the Woods’ filmmaker has left the project because of his commitments to ‘Sinister Six’ and Netflix’s ‘Daredevil’ series, and studio Fox were unwilling to wait for his schedule to clear.
If Damon does take on the project, he will re-team with ‘Elysium’ producer Simon Kinberg, who is working on the movie through his Genre Films banner along with Aditya Sood.
Steve Asbell is executive producing for Fox.
Matt Damon to be The Martian
