New Film About Neil Armstrong Omits American Flag From Moon Landing

An upcoming biographical film about Neil Armstrong will not include the moment Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin planted the American flag on the moon.

"First Man," which premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Wednesday and is scheduled to hit theaters in October, chronicles Armstrong's life from 1961 to the Moon landing in 1969.

Hollywood star Ryan Gosling, who portrays Armstrong in the movie, told The Telegraph the flag was omitted from the moon landing because the achievement of humans walking on the moon "transcended countries and borders."

"I think this was widely regarded in the end as a human achievement [and] that's how we chose to view it," Gosling said. "I also think Neil was extremely humble, as were many of these astronauts, and time and time again he deferred the focus from himself to the 400,000 people who made the mission possible."

"He was reminding everyone that he was just the tip of the iceberg -- and that's not just to be humble, that's also true," Gosling continued. "So I don't think that Neil viewed himself as an American hero. From my interviews with his family and people that knew him, it was quite the opposite. And we wanted the film to reflect Neil."

Gosling also joked that he might have "cognitive bias" against including the American flag because he's Canadian.