Matt Damon to star in The Martian: Is it Robinson Crusoe in space?

Thanks to Emily at As the Crowe Flies and Reads for the heads-up on a promising book-to-movie adaptation.  The Martian by Andy Wier is shooting now with Jessica Chastain, Matt Damon, Sean Bean, Kate Mara, Kristen Wiig, Donald Glover and Chiwetel Ejiofor and possibly Jeff Daniel.
Emily said while she had to do 'a good bit of skimming over the science bits, it made for a good story' and that she had 'moderate hopes that the movie will capture the essence of the book.'

If Emily had to skim over the science bits, I'm not at all sure this would be my kind of book. But it is definitely my kind of cast!

So, what's it all about?

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) became one of the first people to walk on Mars.

Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

While it sounds like Castaway on Mars — producer Ridley Scott calls it 'quintessential Robinson Crusoe' and Matt Damon sounds like a great choice for the role of the stranded astronaut, there must be some important earthly interactions that merit such a solid cast.

Shooting now in Budapest, look for The Martian in theaters next November.

Have you read it? Comment away! I'd also love to link or publish your review here. Lemme know:)