Hansen said it took him about two years to convince Armstrong to write a biography about him. The film, which stars Ryan Gosling as Armstrong, is based on the book, "First Man: The Life of Neil A. Here are a few things we learned about Armstrong, the Apollo 11 mission and "First Man" during the recent press event. "Part of our job in this movie was to shed light on the personal side," he added, "try to get to know who the real man was."Įvery bit of research Chazelle and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Josh Singer ("Spotlight") did on Armstrong - the first man to walk on the moon - would eventually uncover something that was new or surprising.
"I think it's part of why he has been this enigma for so long. 30 during a media event at the spaceport's press site near the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. "He's this man of paradoxes, the most famous man almost in history and yet so private and so unknown, someone who suffered such loss and yet is known for such a happy event that united the whole world in a sense of joy and optimism," Chazelle said Sept. It also covers the loss of what it took to get there and gives viewers a glimpse of Armstrong's family life with Janet Armstrong and their children. The film spotlights the life of the astronaut and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the moon on July 20, 1969. That's one way to describe Neil Armstrong, according to Academy Award-winning director Damien Chazelle, whose Armstrong biopic "First Man" opens later this week. "You think you know him, you think you know the moon landing." Watch Video: Ryan Gosling shoots for the moon in 'First Man'