Carl Sagan Biopic: Famed Cosmologist And Science Popularizer Is Finally Getting A Movie, Report Says

Carl Sagan is finally getting a biopic. Nearly two decades after he died of pneumonia, the life of the famed American cosmologist, astrophysicist, best-selling author and one of the greatest science popularizers of all time will be shown in an as-of-yet untitled movie by Warner Bros., Variety reported Tuesday.

According to the report, which confirmed an earlier story by the Tracking Board, the movie will be produced by Ann Druyan -- the late astrophysicist’s wife who co-created last year’s “Cosmos” reboot hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson -- and Lynda Obst -- one of the producers of Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar.”

Zach Dean, writer of the 2012 crime thriller “Deadfall,” is penning the script for the film, the Tracking Board reported.

Druyan was also associated with the 1997 Warner Bros. movie “Contact” -- starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey -- based on a science fiction novel of the same name written by Sagan.

Sagan, who wrote more than 600 scientific papers and bestselling books such as “Pale Blue Dot,” “Broca’s Brain” and “The Dragons of Eden,” was a passionate advocate for the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and is credited with the creation of the first physical messages directed toward such life forms. The messages, which include the Voyager Golden Records, were carried on board the Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11 and the Voyager space probes.

Additionally, he made significant contributions toward the discovery and understanding of high surface temperature on Venus -- attributed to a runaway greenhouse effect.

The award-winning 1980 television series “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage,” co-created and hosted by Sagan, is believed to be one of the most popular science-themed programs ever created and has been broadcast in over 60 countries.