We've seen dozens of movies about the heroics and brilliance that it took for NASA to accomplish the historic moon landing, but now we're getting a comedic take on the popular conspiracy theory (and to be clear that is all it is) of a fake moon landing in Fly Me to the Moon. For some extra fun, the 2024 new movie also has a rom-com storyline with Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum.
The star-studded comedy is being coy with the conspiracy theory, as the trailer, which you can watch below, throws in a line about how they should've gotten legendary director Stanley Kubrick to handle their fakeout, which has been a popular component of the conspiracy theory for years. Hopefully, people recognize Fly Me to the Moon isn't the "based on a true story" retellings of the space race as First Man or Hidden Figures were.
For everything else you need to know about Fly Me to the Moon, read on below.
Fly Me to the Moon release date
Fly Me to the Moon comes exclusively to movie theaters on July 12 worldwide, putting it right in the heart of the summer blockbuster season.
The movie is a co-production between Columbia Pictures and Apple Original Films, so it will eventually make its way to Apple TV Plus for streaming, but we don’t have a confirmed date as to when that is going to be at this time. A recent example for an estimation would be Argylle, which released February 2 and is premiering on Apple TV Plus on April 12.
Fly Me to the Moon cast
The cast of Fly Me to the Moon is filled with stars, though it is led by Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum. This is the second time that the two A-listers have appeared in a movie together, the other being the Coen Brothers movie Hail, Caesar!, though they didn't share much, or any, screen time. In Fly Me to the Moon, Johansson plays Kelly Jones, a marketing maven brought in to help NASA's image as it builds up its space program, while Tatum plays Cole Davis, NASA's launch director who butts heads with Kelly.
Other members of the Fly Me to the Moon cast include Nick Dillenburg (Orange Is the New Black), Anna Garcia (Party Down), Jim Rash (Velma), Noah Robbins (Up Here), Colin Woodell (The Continental), Christian Zuber (The Morning Show), Donald Elise Watkins (The Underground Railroad), Ray Romano (Somewhere in Queens) and Woody Harrelson (White House Plumbers).
Fly Me to the Moon plot
Rose Gilroy wrote the Fly Me to the Moon screenplay based on a story by Bill Kirstein and Keenan Flynn. Here is 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 wreaks havoc on launch director Cole Davis's 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…"
Fly Me to the Moon trailer
Watch the Fly Me to the Moon trailer right here:
Greg Berlanti movies
Greg Berlanti is directing Fly Me to the Moon. Berlanti has worked more frequently as a writer in Hollywood, penning scripts for TV shows like Dawson's Creek, Everwood, creating Political Animals, Arrow and many of the DC TV shows on The CW, but he has a few directing credits to his name as well. Take a look:
- The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy (2000)
- Life as We Know It (2010)
- Love, Simon (2018)
Fly Me to the Moon looks like it is combining the bigger aspects of his DC TV shows he's worked on as a writer and the romantic comedies that he has directed.
