Ryan Gosling, playing astronaut Neil Armstrong in the new film feature First Man, has been confirmed as the opening film of the 2018 Venice film festival.

The prestigious slot, which has seen the likes of La La Land, Birdman and Gravity occupy it in recent years, has a history of selecting high-profile films set for Oscar glory.

The film will see Gosling once again team up with Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle following their success with six-time Academy Award hit La La Land. According to a press release, First Man tells the riveting story of NASA’s mission to land a man on the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the years 1961-1969.

Played out as a first-person account, the film is based on the book by James R. Hansen and will explore the ‘sacrifices and the costs one of the most dangerous missions in history’. The film was written by Josh Singer who enjoyed previous success with Spotlight and it has been produced by Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen who have The Twilight Saga films on their CVs.

Chazelle has also managed to round-up a major lead cast, which includes the likes of Kyle Chandler, Pablo Schreiber, Jason Clarke, Ciaran Hinds and Corey Stoll and plenty more.

Here’s the trailer: