Based on the bestselling novel by Andy Weir, author of The Martian, Artemis is set in humanity’s first and only city on the Moon. The story follows Jazz Bashara, a down-on-her-luck smuggler who takes a potentially life-changing job, only to find herself embroiled in a conspiracy involving the titular town of Artemis. Directing duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller signed on to helm the adaptation back in 2017.
In an interview with ScreenRant’s Liam Crowley for Project Hail Mary, the duo confirmed that Artemis is still in active development. According to Lord, a large reason for the delay stems from one major challenge: gravity, or rather, the lack of it. Read their comments below:
Chris Miller: We are still actively developing it, and there’ll be more to come.
Phil Lord: Yeah, the trick on that was the moon gravity, which is 1/6th Earth’s gravity. It is a really tricky thing to shoot in a practical way. One of the great things about this movie is that we were able to really shoot that type of stuff. We figured out a way that we think we would be able to shoot moon gravity in a way that wouldn’t cost a billion dollars.
While The Martian was successfully adapted into a 2015 Oscar-nominated film directed by Ridley Scott, Artemis has remained stuck in development since its rights were acquired in the late 2010s. However, the fact that Artemis is still moving forward nearly a decade later suggests the creative team remains passionate about bringing the moon-set thriller to life.
Unlike The Martian, which mostly takes place in one location, Artemis needs a bustling setting where lunar city life, zero-G physics, and underworld hijinks coexist. This complexity is part of what has made the adaptation such a slow burn, but Lord and Miller’s comments suggest a breakthrough is finally at hand.
It’s worth noting that their confidence in Artemis comes as Project Hail Mary nears its release. Based on Weir’s 2021 bestseller, Project Hail Mary stars Ryan Gosling as an amnesiac scientist who undergoes a one-way trip to save Earth from a mystery microorganism that’s killing the sun while forming an unconventional friendship with an alien, Rocky, as they attempt to find solutions to save his planet.
Project Hail Mary has served as a sort of proving ground for Lord and Miller’s sci-fi skillset, and its success could indirectly help Artemis get over its production hurdles. Early trailers for Project Hail Mary have given audiences a front-row seat to the high-concept sci-fi spectacle, showcasing stunning visuals, alien encounters, and Gosling’s charismatic performance.
Despite the positive update, Artemis remains in development with no official release date or cast attached, except for Captain Marvel screenwriter Geneva Robertson-Dworet, who joined the project back in 2018. However, for fans who have spent nearly a decade wondering about the future of the adaptation, the directors’ latest remarks are encouraging.
In a Hollywood landscape increasingly open to ambitious science fiction, Artemis might have finally found its footing. If Lord and Miller can leverage the momentum and technical lessons from Project Hail Mary, audiences could soon be seeing Jazz Bashara’s lunar escapades realized in a way that’s both visually convincing and thrilling.