Los Angeles, Mar 28 (IANS): After "First Man", actor Ryan Gosling is space-bound yet again with another astronaut movie. The actor is set to star in and produce "Project Hail Mary".

Gosling will produce the project with MGM in negotiations to acquire the project, based on the upcoming Andy Weir novel, reports variety.com.

"Project Hail Mary" is about a solitary astronaut on a spaceship who is trying to save Earth. "Project Hail Mary" will be published next spring by Random House.

Weir's novels are particularly popular for film adaptations in Hollywood. Weir's first novel, "The Martian," was self-published in 2011. The story follows an American astronaut stranded alone on Mars in the year 2035. The film adaptation, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, was released in 2015 and became a massive box office success and earned seven Academy Award nominations.

In 2017, Weir published his novel "Artemis", about a woman named Jazz, a directionless twenty-something constrained by her small town Artemis -- the only city on the moon. With debts to pay and a salary that barely covers her expenses, she can't say no when a life-changing opportunity drops in her lap. Fox and New Regency bought the film rights and got Phil Lord and Chris Miller to direct the project.