The inaugural United States moon launch in 1969 is, of course, still highly contested by conspiracy theorists, and then there was that rumor for years that the moon launch was actually faked, and the great Stanley Kubrick was hired to direct it and make it look real and authentic. That idea forms the genesis for “Fly Me To The Moon,” a new comedy about the backup plan to fake the moon landing in case the actual space mission went awry.
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Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum star as a 1960s “Mad Men”-like ad shark and a by-the-book launch director on a mission set against the high-stakes backdrop of NASA’s historic moon landing.
Written by Rose Gilroy (Tony Gilroy’s daughter), the film is directed by Greg Berlanti, a screenwriter and TV producer probably best known for his multitude of CW-era superhero shows within the so-called Arrowverse. But Berlanti is also a filmmaker having directed things like “Love, Simon” (2018) and the 2010 romcom, “Life As We Know It.”
On top of Johansson and Tatum, “Fly Me To The Moon” stars Nick Dillenburg, Anna Garcia, Jim Rash, Noah Robbins, Colin Woodell, Christian Zuber, Donald Elise Watkins, with Ray Romano and Woody Harrelson.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, FLY ME TO THE MOON is a sharp, stylish comedy-drama set against the high-stakes backdrop of NASA’s historic Apollo 11 moon landing. Brought in to fix NASA’s public image, sparks fly in all directions as marketing maven Kelly Jones (Johansson) wreaks havoc on launch director Cole Davis’s (Tatum) already difficult task. When the White House deems the mission too important to fail, Jones is directed to stage a fake moon landing as back-up and the countdown truly begins…
The Apple Original Films produced and Columbia Pictures distributed comedy-drama will be released exclusively in theaters on July 12, 2024. Watch the final trailer below.