There are plenty of movies about space that are based on true stories and real people — “First Man” and “The Right Stuff,” for example. And, given that it highlights real aspects of the space race, you might find yourself wondering if “Fly Me to the Moon” the next movie to follow suit.
The film, now exclusively in theaters, centers on Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson), a PR expert hired to effectively sell the moon landing to the American people. With the country so deep into the Vietnam War, and JFK’s promise to put a man on the moon within the decade now nine years old, the government feels that the space race is losing steam in the hearts of the public.
So, with the begrudging help of NASA launch director Cole Davis (Channing Tatum), Kelly manages to set up brand deals and sponsorships, and even suggests that the moon landing be televised live when it happens. Naturally, the mysterious Moe Berkus (Woody Harrelson) loves the idea, but Cole hates it.
Unbeknownst to Cole, Moe instructs Kelly to recreate and film a fake moon landing, for “just in case” purposes. The thing is, Moe’s a bit shady, and he eventually reveals to Kelly that the footage isn’t just in case; it’s what will be broadcast to the American people either way.
The idea that NASA faked the moon landing is an actual conspiracy theory, so to be clear, no, “Fly Me to the Moon” is not based on a true story.
According to screenwriter Rose Gilroy, “it was Scarlett and her company’s original idea,” and really there was never any hesitation or nervousness about leaning into this particular conspiracy theory, even at a time where conspiracy theories are spreading like wildfire on the internet.
“I think I was always coming at it from an angle of, I had a true admiration for what was accomplished on that day and for NASA,” Gilroy explained to TheWrap. “Just from a script standpoint, I was never interested in, you know, bashing or taking away from it. And anything to do with conspiracy was only going to be put in to have fun and entertain and also be used in a way to actually point out that the truth matters.”
For director Berlanti, the fact that “Fly Me to the Moon” didn’t shy away from the idea of a fake moon landing was “part of the boldness and the bravery” of the film. Even NASA itself was fine with it.
“And if anything, [truth] matters more now than ever. And so what better way to do that than to actually go headfirst into one of these, like one of the OG conspiracy theories?” he told TheWrap.
That said, there are elements of “Fly Me to the Moon” that are real. According to Gilroy, “a lot of the spirit of the script came from research,” and staying true to what NASA actually did.
The average NASA worker at the time was indeed in their 20s, and there were actually thousands of people who worked to make the moon landing happen, as Cole’s character regularly points out.
But no, the White House did not force a PR expert to stage a fake moon landing only for it to be ruined by a cat named Mischief. The movie is purely fictional.
“Fly Me to the Moon” is now in theaters.
