Deadline is reporting that MGM is in advanced negotiations to acquire the exclusive film rights to The Martian author Andy Weir's next sci-fi novel Project Hail Mary, with a deal reportedly north of seven figures.
2x Academy Award-nominee Ryan Gosling (Blade Runner 2049; The Nice Guys) is attached to star in the film and will also serve as a producer with Ken Kao (The Nice Guys; Hostiles).
While the book won't be released until next Spring, it - along with much of Weir's work - has been in high demand ever since the immense success of Ridley Scott's The Martian, which starred Academy Award-winner Matt Damon (The Last Duel; Jason Bourne) in the lead role and garnered widespread critical and commercial acclaim, receiving seven Academy Award nominations, winning two Golden Globes and earning over $630 million worldwide.
Plot details are unsurprisingly being kept under wraps, but the story is described as a solitary tale of an astronaut on a space ship who is tasked with saving the planet. Gosling would play the astronaut.
Project Hail Mary is the latest of Weir's writing to secure a film deal over the past year, following his novel Artemis and his graphic novel Cheshire Crossing, both of which were secured by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, with the pair expected to direct the former.