Director Greg Berlanti knew from the first rehearsal they had for ‘Fly Me to the Moon‘ that Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum would have great on-screen chemistry, a crucial element in bringing the romantic comedy-drama to life. In a recent interview, Berlanti, whose previous works include fan favorites like ‘Love, Simon’ and the TV series ‘You,’ expressed his delight at witnessing the electric rapport between the two A-list stars.
“When you work with stars of this magnitude – who are stars for a reason – you know that they each have a filming element that most people don’t have,” Berlanti said. “But you do wonder, like until they are in a room together and I’m watching them act together, do they have chemistry? I knew from our first rehearsal. They were so inventive and fun with each other. As young people say, it was giving Rock Hudson and Doris Day, it was giving Spencer Tracy and [Katharine] Hepburn. They each have their own brand of comedy and drama, but they really fit well together. It was exciting to see what was going to happen every day.”
Set against the backdrop of NASA’s historic Apollo 11 moon landing, ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ is a stylish, multi-faceted romantic comedy that follows marketing maven Kelly Jones (Johansson), who is tasked by the White House to stage a fake moon landing as a backup plan. Her mission, however, clashes with the ambitions of launch director Cole Davis (Tatum), setting the stage for a clash of wills and a simmering romantic tension.
Johansson, who also serves as a producer on the film, acknowledges the initial contempt between Kelly and Cole but notes that their undeniable connection and sizzling chemistry shine through. “Though there may be a little contempt between Kelly and Cole at times, you still see that they have a connection, and sparks fly,” she said.
Berlanti’s vision for ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ is a unique blend of tones, seamlessly blending sharp comedic banter reminiscent of the iconic Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy pairings with a dramatic exploration of the importance of truth. The film’s grand, epic scale, mirroring the enormity of the Apollo missions, serves as a backdrop for the intimate story of two people finding their way to each other.
“The tether is always the performance – to have actors who can be silly in one moment and serious the next,” Berlanti explained. “Tone is the number one question I’ve got in my career. I love to blend tones because I think we live lives of blended tones – it makes the sad stuff more sad, the serious stuff more serious, and the funny stuff funnier because it adds an element of surprise; you don’t know what you’re going to get from moment to moment. It’s a testament to the actors being able to do that.”
Berlanti further drew a parallel between Kelly and Cole’s mission to reach the moon and their own personal journeys toward love, noting that both aspirations require a leap into the unknown. “Next to going to the moon, love may be the most ambitious thing a person can take on,” he said. “The moon is mystical and magical. You have to imagine for thousands of years for the human species, it was the brightest light in the evening when all of the magical romantic things were happening. That’s so ingrained in us. What it has in common with the romance and the aspirations of the world at that time is the ambition – the giving yourself over to something great.”
With an ensemble cast that also includes Woody Harrelson, Ray Romano, and Jim Rash, ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ promises to be a captivating cinematic experience that blends humor, drama, and romance against the backdrop of one of humanity’s greatest achievements. And at the heart of it all is the undeniable chemistry between Johansson and Tatum, a dynamic that Berlanti and the entire production team have eagerly embraced and celebrated.
‘Fly Me to the Moon’ is set to open in theaters on July 10, distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, the local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.
