With the majority of news from the movie world these days being about disappointing release date postponements or filming schedules being put on hiatus, we welcome any upbeat news about future movie projects with open arms. Well, this recent announcement is just the kind of thing we have all been waiting for and involves Ryan Gosling once again journeying into space, this time in Project Hail Mary, a story based on a book by a very talented author.

That talented author is The Martian's Andy Weir, with sources saying that Project Hail Mary is now in exclusive negotiations and is set to be acquired by MGM in a massive 7-figure deal. This is taking place mere days after Hollywood began jumping all over the new novel from Weir.

Author Andy Weir's newest book, Project Hail Mary, is described as a solitary tale of an astronaut on a space ship who is tasked with saving the planet. Because aren't they always? It seems nobody just gets to drift aimlessly through space anymore. The story is said to involve some very clever twists and turns which you will want to avoid having spoiled. Project Hail Mary is described as being similar in many ways to The Martian, and continues with the kind of ingenuity that made the latter book and movie so popular. Much like The Martian, Project Hail Mary is also grounded in reality in the same way, as well as being a thrilling ride.

Ryan Gosling is attached to play the put-upon astronaut, and will also be on producing duty alongside Ken Kao. CAA is brokering the book deal with David Fugate of Launch Books, after running an auction that hopefully will be the start of more deal-making. The book is set to be published next spring by Random House. Gosling is also repped by CAA, and he's lawyered by Robert Offer.

Following the Best Picture nominated Ridley Scott-directed The Martian, Weir's prose has been in high demand. The Martian centers on a group of astronauts who blast off from the planet Mars following a sandstorm, leaving behind Mark Watney, who is presumed dead after a fierce storm. With only a meager amount of supplies, the stranded visitor must utilize his wits and spirit to find a way to survive on the hostile planet.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, members of NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring him home, while his crewmates hatch their own plan for a daring rescue mission. The movie stars Matt Damon as the stranded Watney as well as Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sean Bean, Sebastian Stan, Donald Glover, Aksel Hennie, and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Since the release of The Martian, Weir's works have been hot in Hollywood, with his novel Artemis being set up as a project for Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Artemis takes place in the late 2080s and is set in Artemis, the first and so far only city on the Moon. It follows the life of porter and smuggler Jasmine "Jazz" Bashara as she gets caught up in a conspiracy for control of the city.

The last time Ryan Gosling was seen on the big screen was in Damien Chazelle's First Man which saw the actor portray Neil Armstrong. Clearly Gosling has gotten a taste for adventuring into the cosmos. This comes to us from Deadline.