Is 'Fly Me to the Moon' a true story? Movie explores NASA 'moon landing' that stoked major controversy
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The trailer for the Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum starrer 'Fly Me to the Moon' has reignited discussions about the popular theory that NASA faked the moon landing.
The film centers around Cole Davis (Channing Tatum), NASA’s launch director for the Apollo 11 mission. Scarlett Johansson plays Kelly Jones, a PR expert hired by the government to market the moon.
The trailer shows Kelly and her team filming a fake moon landing in case NASA's Apollo 11 mission goes off the rails.
'Fly Me to the Moon' is loosely based on real events
'Fly Me to the Moon' is a fictional story that draws inspiration from real events. Apple Studios takes creative liberty to spin several historical events to tell an entertaining story to the audience.
Apollo 11 was a real mission by NASA that successfully landed humans on the moon for the first time.
On July 20, 1969, Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle, with Armstrong becoming the first person to step on the moon.
The film, however, portrays NASA filming a fake moon landing to show the world. It's important to note that there is no proof that NASA faked the moon landing.
"There were probably a quarter of a million people who were directly involved in the Apollo program and another half million people beyond that — three-quarters of a million people can’t keep a secret like that," said Brain Welch, a NASA spokesperson, on an episode of a FOX TV show titled 'Conspiracy Theory' which was aired in February 2001.
Are Kelly Jones and Cole Davis in 'Fly Me to the Moon' real people?
The lead characters, Kelly and Cole don't exist in real life. Kelly is probably an amalgamation of several PRs that were indeed hired to publicize NASA and its mission amid the Space Race.
Cole is likely to be based on Eugene Kranz who was a launch director for the Apollo 11 mission, according to the National Air and Space Museum.
The film also shows a romantic chemistry between the two characters which actually didn't happen.
How to stream 'Fly Me to the Moon'?
'Fly Me to the Moon' will have a theatrical release in the United States and Canada on July 12, 2024. The film is set to premiere on Apple TV+ later this year, with the exact release date still to be announced.
Directed by Greg Berlanti, the film has a run time of 132 minutes.
'Fly Me to the Moon' trailer