In Brief

Ridley Scott to Bring Andy Weir's 'The Martian' to Life in 2015

The Martian, orange cover
Andy Weir's "The Martian" is being made into a movie starring Matt Damon and set for release in 2015. (Image credit: Crown Publishers)

A movie adaptation of the science fiction thriller "The Martian" written by Andy Weir is set to hit the silver screen next year.

Director Ridley Scott and actor Matt Damon have reportedly signed on to the project, according to press reports. "The Martian" is scheduled for release on Nov. 25, 2015.

Weir's "The Martian" (Crown Publishers, 2014) follows the story of astronaut Mark Watney, one of the first people on Mars. He is left behind by his crewmates after a dust storm tears through the area. His fellow astronauts assume he was killed during the tempest, and Watney has to find a way to survive being stranded on the Red Planet. [Read the first chapter of "The Martian" on Space.com]

"Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills — and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit — he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next," an Amazon.com description of "The Martian's" plot reads. "Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?"

"The Martian" is now available in stores. You can also buy "The Martian" online.

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Miriam Kramer
Staff Writer

Miriam Kramer joined Space.com as a Staff Writer in December 2012. Since then, she has floated in weightlessness on a zero-gravity flight, felt the pull of 4-Gs in a trainer aircraft and watched rockets soar into space from Florida and Virginia. She also served as Space.com's lead space entertainment reporter, and enjoys all aspects of space news, astronomy and commercial spaceflight.  Miriam has also presented space stories during live interviews with Fox News and other TV and radio outlets. She originally hails from Knoxville, Tennessee where she and her family would take trips to dark spots on the outskirts of town to watch meteor showers every year. She loves to travel and one day hopes to see the northern lights in person. Miriam is currently a space reporter with Axios, writing the Axios Space newsletter. You can follow Miriam on Twitter.