A space-age love story centering on NASA’s historic Voyager probes and the Gold Record that came aboard may not seem like the most appealing movie project, but when the real-life people whose true romance is involved are the famous astronomer Carl Sagan. and documentary filmmaker Ann Druyan, is sure to attract a host of interested parties.
Academy Award-winning director Sebastian Lelio (“Fantastic Woman”) is attached to direct FilmNation Entertainment’s next film project, “Voyagers,” which takes place in the late 1970s as NASA preparing to send the pair of interstellar ships. Voyager probes to the edge of our Solar system and beyond.
To add excitement to this upcoming biopic, recently reported variety (opens in a new tab) that Andrew Garfield is hired to play the legendary astronomer/astrophysicist carl sagan with Daisy Edgar-Jones playing his love interest and “Cosmos” filmmaker Ann Druyan.
Related: Carl Sagan: Cosmos, Pale Blue Dot and famous quotes
Garfield played web-slinger Peter Parker in director Marc Webb’s “The Amazing Spider-Man” (2012) and “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014), and appeared in 2021’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” “Voyagers” will be something of a reunion, as he also starred opposite Edgar-Jones in FX’s Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominee “Under the Banner of Heaven.”
The story takes place in 1977 as NASA prepares to launch the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes while Sagan’s team creates the Golden disc, a 12-inch gold-plated copper disc created with global images and messages to be included on each spacecraft as a greeting from Earth. What begins as a time-sensitive critical mission transforms into a budding romance between Sagan and Druyan.
“As a nine-year-old boy who grew up during the Chilean dictatorship, Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan The TV series ‘Cosmos’ had a profound impact on me, igniting my fascination with life’s biggest questions and mysteries.” Lelio told Variety (opens in a new tab). “It is a dream to make a film about the Gold Record and, within it, the inspiring love story between Carl and Ann. I am delighted that Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones are at the center of this epic romance set in the infinite backdrop of space and time.
Lelio’s latest project was the haunting and tragic period piece on Netflix titled “The Wonder,” starring Florence Pugh and produced by House Productions and Element Pictures. This haunting and beautifully shot film was nominated for Best British Film of the Year at the BAFTAs in 2022.
“Voyagers” will be produced by Ben Browning for FilmNation Entertainment, Lynda Obst and Druyan. This should be a highly sought after project in the market for this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
“Imagine falling madly and truly in love with one of the greatest human beings who ever lived, while creating a complex message about what it is to be alive, a golden record attached to the first interstellar spacecraft launched by our species, destined to navigate the milky bed. Way galaxy long after Earth ceases to exist”, said druyan (opens in a new tab). “It takes a film to bring that mythic experience, that cosmic love story, to life. After years of searching, I feel we have found exactly the right colleagues and artists to capture the magic.”
