Released today, the new First Man Official Trailer #3 (watch #1 and #2) seems to be a response to the controversy surrounding this movie the last few weeks. The main issue of contention is with the purposeful decision to exclude the planting of the American flag from the film. Canadian, and star of the film, Ryan Gosling, only provoked a bigger backlash by supporting the exclusion while claiming that the moon landing was a “human achievement” and that it “transcended countries and borders.”
From the thumbnail that includes the flag on the moon next to the Apollo Lunar Module to the nationalistic speech by John F. Kennedy, the First Man Trailer #3 puts America front and center. It goes out of its way to include just about every shot of an American flag from the movie. Will this satisfy the critics, or invite more backlash from the cynics annoyed by the crude manipulation?
Regardless of the controversy, this looks like it will be a great film. Watch the First Man Official Trailer #3 from Universal Pictures:
On the heels of their six-time Academy Award®-winning smash, La La Land, Oscar®-winning director Damien Chazelle and star Ryan Gosling reteam for Universal Pictures’ First Man, the riveting story behind the first manned mission to the moon, focusing on Neil Armstrong and the decade leading to the historic Apollo 11 flight. A visceral and intimate account told from Armstrong’s perspective, based on the book by James R. Hansen, the film explores the triumphs and the cost—on Armstrong, his family, his colleagues and the nation itself—of one of the most dangerous missions in history.
Written by Academy Award® winner Josh Singer (Spotlight, The Post), the epic drama of leading under the pressure of grace and tragedy is produced by Wyck Godfrey & Marty Bowen (The Twilight Saga, The Fault in Our Stars) through their Temple Hill Entertainment banner, alongside Isaac Klausner (Love, Simon) and Chazelle. Steven Spielberg, Adam Merims and Singer executive produce, while DreamWorks Pictures co-finances the film.