Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig and Kate Mara are also circling the project, which stars Matt Damon, said The Hollywood Reporter.
The story centres on an astronaut (Damon) who is stranded in a Martian colony and struggles to survive. Back on Earth, NASA tries to launch a rescue mission. Daniels, 59, would play the director of NASA dealing with the crisis.
Scott is also producing with Simon Kinberg and Aditya Sood, who originally found the book that is the basis for the film.