First Man: Neil Armstrong biopic starring Ryan Gosling deemed 'major' Oscar contender
Damien Chazelle's Neil Armstrong film First Man is being touted for awards success following the debut of the film's "stirring" trailer at CinemaCon.
The La La Land director introduced the footage in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, where he promised the audience - comprised of cinema owners - that he wanted to guide viewers through the astronaut's “immersive journey... as they shot through the heavens and took those first few steps on the moon.”
First Man stars Ryan Gosling in the lead role with The Crown star Claire Foy - lead actor of forthcoming adaptation The Girl in the Spider's Web - playing his wife Janet Shearon who'll take centre stage in the scenes set on Earth.
Audiences were bowled over by the film's trailer which is being teased as a stirring Right Stuff-style marvel that will likely see Whiplash director Chazelle - who became the youngest person to ever win Best Director at the Oscars in 2017 - and Gosling embedded in the awards season, with the latter a strong candidate for Best Actor nominee.
You can see a selection of responses below.
Damien Chazelle’s First Man looks inspiring, dramatic, somehow important. Ryan Gosling as Neil Armstrong is the center of this dramatic vision of the first movie ever about the first manned moon mission. Heartbreaking to watch Armstrong’s kids ask if he’ll come home. #CinemaCon
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) April 25, 2018
FIRST MAN trailer looked FANTASTIC. Starts with Gosling singing. Dramatic voiceover. Then ramps up into thriller territory. Major Oscar player. Felt a little Malick-y at times. Suggests that Chazelle's next step will be a mega-tentpole.
— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) April 25, 2018
Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy & Damien Chazelle introduce first look at ‘First Man’ with Gosling as Neil Armstrong. Looks intense with great visuals. Great reception from #cinemacon crowd
— Jillian Sederholm (@JillianSed) April 25, 2018
Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy and Damien Chazelle are here to offer first look at Neil Armstrong biopic FIRST MAN. Trailer is great: intense, and promising as close to a sure-thing this year's nascent Oscar race has offered so far. Another #TIFF18 must-get. #CinemaCon
— Barry Hertz (@HertzBarry) April 25, 2018
FIRST MAN trailer just debuted here. And yes, it looks pretty glorious. Gosling + Foy + Chezelle = YES YES YES. A little bit of The Right Stuff, some Malick in there, I’m all in. #CinemaCon
— Josh Horowitz (@joshuahorowitz) April 25, 2018
First Man also stars Corey Stoll, Kyle Chandler and Pablo Schreiber and will be released in the UK on 2 November.