Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum share screen in new rom-com 'Fly Me to the Moon' trailer

Sony Pictures and Apple TV dropped the trailer for Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum's romantic comedy film, Fly Me to the Moon, on April 8, 2024. As the trailer shows, the narrative takes place during the 1960s space race as the US competes with Russia to be the first nation to land on the moon.

Johansson plays Kelly Jones, a marketing specialist who is hired by NASA to "sell the moon" and build a reputation for NASA and its astronauts. Meanwhile, Channing Tatum stars as Cole Davis, the launch director for the space mission. However, there is another secret task in store for them - to film a fake moon landing video in case the actual mission fails.

Directed by Love, Simon filmmaker Greg Berlanti, Fly Me to the Moon is set to be released on July 12, 2024.

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Exploring the details of Fly Me to the Moon trailer

The trailer for Fly Me to the Moon promises a fun-filled adventure as the NASA team attempts to launch a rocket to the moon, with a love story woven into the plot. One of the highlighted scenes from the trailer is when Cole (Channing Tatum) says:

"NASA's not something that you sell with a jingle and a slogan."

But it seems marketing expert Kelly (Scarlett Johansson) disagrees.

Channing Tatum as Cole Davis (Image via Instagram/@appletv)

The trailer begins by giving a sneak-peek at the leads' first meeting. Cole strolls into what seems like a diner, where Kelly happens to be sitting alone at a table. He tells her:

"Miss, you're on fire."

Kelly is flattered, that is, until she realizes that her book has actually been lit ablaze by a candle. In an effort to put it out, she accidentally spreads the fire by dousing it in alcohol. Luckily, Cole is there to save the day with his jacket. Hinting at their potential romance, he says:

"Alcohol and flames, they like each other"

The two meet again at NASA where Cole works as a launch director and Kelly has just been hired to market the company and its mission in a good light to the public. A series of clips showcase Kelly working to make the NASA astronauts "bigger than the Beatles," while Cole prepares for the challenging launch to the moon. This is where the story takes a turn.

Scarlett Johansson as Kelly Jones (Image via Instagram/@appletv)

In a conspiratorial scene, Kelly is asked to shoot "the backup version of the moon landing" in case things go south during the actual mission. Having gathered a director and actors on set, Kelly attempts to shoot a fake moon-landing video. However, it is not as easy as it seems. As the trailer ends, Kelly says:

"I think we should have gotten Kubrick."

With comedy, romance, adventure and intrigue all rolled into one, Fly Me to the Moon's trailer offers a hint at what the audience can expect from the film.

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Everything we know so far about Fly Me to the Moon

Initially titled Project Artemis, Apple won the rights to Fly Me to the Moon in a bidding war for a $100 million deal back in 2022. Opposite Scarlett Johansson, her fellow MCU actor, Chris Evans, was first roped in to play Cole Davis. However, as per Variety, the Captain America star had to eventually drop out as his schedule conflicted with his other project, Netflix's Pain Hustlers.

The film's original director Jason Bateman allegedly left the project due to creative differences. He was replaced by Greg Berlanti, while the role of Cole eventually went to Channing Tatum.

Greg Berlanti at the Barbara Berlanti Heroes Gala (Image via Getty/Jon Kopaloff)

In an interview with People magazine published on April 8, 2024, Scarlett Johansson said about Tatum:

"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... Kelly and Cole are such opposites. It was fun to play that dynamic with Channing."

Meanwhile, Greg Berlanti explained that the film played on real-life conspiracy theories surrounding the Apollo 11 mission. In the same interview, he revealed:

"The inspiration for this story was to craft a big, fun, smart original movie around whether or not the American government could have possibly faked the Apollo 11 moon landing, which is still the most-watched live TV event in the history of the world and has since become one of the most talked about conspiracy theories."

Besides Johansson and Tatum, the cast of Fly Me to the Moon includes Woody Harrelson, Jim Rash, Ray Romano, Anna Garcia, Donald Elise Watkins, Noah Robbins, Colin Woodell, Nick Dillenburg and Christian Zuber. The script is written by Rose Gilroy, with story credits given to Bill Kirstein and Keenan Flynn.

Woody Harrelson will star as Moe Berkus in 'Fly Me to the Moon' (Image via Getty/Kate Green)

Scarlett Johansson is also the producer of this project, along with Jonathan Lia, Keenan Flynn and Sarah Schechter. Robert J. Dohrmann serves as executive producer.

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Fly Me to the Moon will be released theatrically by Sony on July 12, 2024, after which it will be available to stream on Apple TV+.