Neil Armstrong's Story to Be Told in "First Man"

Universal has acquired the rights to "First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong," a nonfiction book by NASA historian James R. Hansen. Nicole Perlman, the recently-hired screenwriter, told Variety:

The closer he got to the moon, the further away he became from his family. He had a family tragedy before Apollo that turned him into this driven astronaut, and he became such a perfect hero that while Buzz Aldrin was announced to be the first man on the moon, NASA reversed its decision because Neil was regarded as more heroic.

Perlman isn't new to NASA-themed screenplays. She recently wrote a script called "Challenger," which is about the investigation of the destruction of the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger. Nathaniel Kahn ("My Architect") is set to direct that project.

Armstrong could be an interesting subject since he was so notoriously cold and distant from people. Variety points out that he was known as "the Ice Commander" and that once he returned to Earth he ignored his considerable fame and resumed a very private, almost reclusive life with his family.