Scarlett Johansson’s New $100 Million Movie Challenges Apple’s Sci-Fi Trend After 12 Great TV Shows

The new Scarlett Johansson movie Fly Me to the Moon will join the arsenal of Apple sci-fi content on its Apple TV+ streaming platform. Since debuting in late 2019, Apple TV+ has rapidly joined the esteemed ranks of elite streaming platforms led by Netflix, Max, and Hulu. One of its first and biggest critical successes was a series called For All Mankind, which has had 4 great seasons. Apple is already gearing up for a For All Mankind season 5, proving the success it has had with its original content in the sci-fi genre, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

Fly Me to the Moon will star Johansson alongside an ensemble cast of Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson, and Ray Ramano. The first trailer for Fly Me to the Moon was released on April 8, 2024, along with the announcement of an expected release date of July 12, 2024. The film is loosely based on the true story of a marketing campaign that spread awareness and forced popular opinion of the United States’ historic Apollo 11 mission. After NASA was formed in 1958, the American public was unconvinced of its efforts during the 1960s to send astronauts to the moon, which is where Johansson’s Kelly Jones comes in.

Apple TV+ Has Seen Huge Success With Its Original Sci-Fi Series

Shows like Silo, Foundation, and Severance have been critical hits

It’s no surprise that Apple has continued investing in its original sci-fi content considering how successful it has been in the genre since Apple TV+ was first established. Following the release of For All Mankind, there have been at least 11 other good or great original sci-fi series created under the Apple umbrella. These titles include See, a dystopian sci-fi drama starring Jason Mamoa that ran for three seasons, Foundation, a space epic whose season 3 is set to premiere in 2025, Silo, a critically acclaimed book adaptation starring the incomparable Rebecca Ferguson, and Severance, an Emmy-winning dystopian sci-fi series.

The original Apple sci-fi content has, somewhat surprisingly, become the bread and butter of the Apple TV+ streaming platform. For All Mankind offers an alternative version of 1969 in which the Soviet Union beat the United States in the global space race, which extended the cosmic competition between the two superpowers for decades and changed the course of history. While the series offers a fascinating look at an alternate reality, Fly Me to the Moon looks to be much more grounded in reality. From its trailer alone, the film looks to share tonal similarities with the Oscar-nominated Hidden Figures.

How Fly Me To The Moon Will Test Apple TV+’s Sci-Fi Audience

The new sci-fi movie is also considered a romantic comedy

While there are several variations of Apple’s sci-fi content that lean into many common genres such as horror and thriller, Fly Me to the Moon is advertised as a romantic comedy. This is certainly different from the typical serious sci-fi content that Apple has produced in recent years and will not be considered true science fiction or an alternate history series. Fly Me to the Moon does have the advantage of an apparent 2024 resurgence in romantic comedies, however, given the surprise box office success of Anyone But You. With the collective likability of Johansson, Tatum, and Harrelson, the film should not disappoint.

Fly Me to the Moon is directed by Greg Berlanti, who successfully adapted the popular teen novel “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” into the critically acclaimed coming-of-age film Love, Simon (2018). Johansson and Tatum have previously worked together on 2016’s showbiz drama Hail, Caesar! directed by The Coen Brothers and are poised to have great onscreen chemistry. While the film is certainly more of a traditional romantic comedy with a historical/science fiction setting, there should be enough genre elements to include it in the same category as the celebrated Apple sci-fi projects before it.

Fly Me To The Moon Is More Like For All Mankind, Not Foundation Or Silo

Both feature a dramatized version of the global space race

Based on the little information currently available on Fly Me to the Moon, one thing that is clear is that it will be more like For All Mankind than Foundation or Silo. While For All Mankind deals with a fictionalized version of the space race and the Apollo 11 mission, Fly Me to the Moon appears to be staying close to the facts of the events without binding itself to complete historical accuracy. The screenplay is written by first-time screenwriter Rose Gilroy, so there’s not much to go off when trying to predict the story’s style and tone. Regardless, Fly Me to the Moon should become the latest sci-fi hit on Apple TV+.