Apple Studios and Sony have released the first trailer of “Fly Me To the Moon,” a romantic comedy set in the 1960s with Channing Tatum and Scarlett Johansson. The film will land in theaters on July 12.
Set against the space race of the 1960s, Johansson stars as a marketing exec who is tasked by the White House to film a fake moon landing in case the real mission fails, while Tatum plays the launch director of the operation.
Greg Berlanti, known for helming “Love, Simon,” as well as working on TV in shows such as “Arrow” and “Flash,” directs the movie. Jim Rash, Ray Romano, Anna Garcia, Donald Elise Watkins, Noah Robbins, Colin Woodell, Nick Dillenburg, Christian Zuber and Woody Harrelson complete the cast.
‘Fly Me To the Moon,’ a rom-com set against the space race
The project was acquired by Apple in 2022 in a $100 million deal following a bidding war between studios. First known as “Project Artemis,” the film has suffered some setbacks, such as Chris Evans’ departure from the project. Evans was supposed to play Tatum’s role but a production delay left him out of the film.
However, Johansson, who also produces the film, has praised his co-star in a new interview with People Magazine. “Channing is such an easy-going actor, good spirited and professional. Falling in love with him onscreen was pretty easy. He’s such a likable person,” she said.
“Kelly and Cole are such opposites. It was fun to play that dynamic with Channing,” she explained. In the same interview, she also described her character as “a very modern woman living in a time where women were often underestimated.“
On the other hand, Berlanti also joined the movie after Jason Bateman left the project over “creative differences.” Also speaking to People, Berlanti explained that the film attempted to be a “big, fun, smart original movie about whether or not the American government could have possibly faked the Apollo 11 moon landing,” which is definitely one of the most wide-spread conspiracy theories.
