During the 1960s
Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union, a relationship develops between the
NASA director in charge of the
Apollo 11 launch and the marketing specialist brought in to fix NASA's public image and stage a "back-up"
fake moon landing.[4]
In March 2022,
Apple Studios announced they had acquired the rights to produce a movie set in the backdrop of the
Space Race, then titled Project Artemis, for $100 million.
Scarlett Johansson and
Chris Evans were also announced as starring in the film, with
Jason Bateman directing.[6] In May, Bateman said the working title Project Artemis was likely to change.[7] He left the project the following month, citing creative differences,[8] and was later replaced by
Greg Berlanti, his first directorial effort since 2018's Love, Simon.
The search for a new director and Berlanti's availability changed the production schedule, forcing Evans to drop out as well. In July,
Channing Tatum entered negotiations to replace him.[9] In September,
Jim Rash joined the cast.[10]Ray Romano, Anna Garcia and
Woody Harrelson would be added in the following months.[11][12][13]
Filming began on October 27, 2022, in
Atlanta, with a casting call issued seeking extras to play
NASA employees and
FBI agents.[14] By December 21, 2023, with a release date of July 12, 2024 set, the film was no longer titled Project Artemis[1] In April 2024, the film's new title was revealed to be Fly Me to the Moon,[4][15] and
Daniel Pemberton was confirmed to compose the score for the film.[16]
Release
Following their partnership on Napoleon, Apple entered another agreement with
Sony Pictures to distribute the film in theatres in December 2023.[17] That same month, it was scheduled for a theatrical release in the United States and Canada on July 12, 2024.[18]