Jeff Daniels is in talks to join the growing cast of Warner Bros.' The Martian, which has Matt Damon attached to star. Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara and Kristen Wiig are also circling roles in the project.

The story is based on Andy Weir's 2012 e-book which centers on an American astronaut (Matt Damon) who becomes stranded on Mars, as NASA launches a rescue mission to bring him back home. If his deal is finalized, Jeff Daniels will play the director of NASA who is dealing with this crisis.

Ridley Scott is directing from an adapted screenplay by Drew Goddard, who was once attached to direct before he was forced to bow out due to his commitment to Sony's The Sinister Six spin-off. Ridley Scott is also producing alongside Simon Kinberg and Aditya Sood, who first found the book that this project is adapted from. We reported in June that production will begin this fall, but that has not been confirmed yet.

Jeff Daniels will next be seen in the long-awaited comedy sequel Dumb and Dumber To. He also returns for the final season of The Newsroom, which debuts on HBO this November.