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Apple’s latest foray into Hollywood has seen the tech giant invest $100 million in a new space race movie, “Project Artemis”, starring Scarlett Johansson. The film is currently being shot at the iconic Kennedy Space Center, where vintage cars have been brought in to match the era of the movie.
Despite Apple’s huge investment, the film has seen some significant changes since it was first announced. Jason Bateman was originally set to direct, but he left the project due to creative differences and was replaced by Greg Berlanti.
The film’s schedule also changed, which led to Chris Evans, who was supposed to co-star with Johansson, leaving the project. He was eventually replaced by Channing Tatum. The cast also includes Jim Rash, Ray Romano, and Woody Harrelson.
Little is known about the plot of “Project Artemis”, other than that it takes place during the 1960s space race. However, some hints about the story have emerged from background casting calls for the movie.
Extras were needed to portray the Soviet space program, Interkosmos, which sent humans to space beginning in the late 1970s. The program was designed to help send Soviet Union allies into space with both crewed and uncrewed missions. The casting call also called for people to play NASA employees and FBI/Secret Service agents.
Filming for the movie began in late October 2022, but in February, vintage cars began to fill the parking lots of Kennedy Space Center in Florida as preparations for some filming on-location began.
In addition to the vintage cars, the production team has gone to great lengths to recreate the 1960s atmosphere at the Kennedy Space Center. The press site clock, which was replaced with a large display several years ago, has been made to appear much like the original, while bleachers and flags have been set up.
Despite the progress made so far, the movie’s release is still a long way off. Even the title of the movie isn’t clear, as Bateman said in May 2022 that “Project Artemis” was only a working title, and likely to change. On set, crew members have apparently been referring to it as “Eleven” though this may be just a production or ruse title.
Apple’s investment in “Project Artemis” is just the latest example of the company’s growing presence in Hollywood. Apple has been producing its own original content for its Apple TV+ streaming service since 2019 and has won several awards for its shows and movies, including “Ted Lasso” and “CODA”.