Artemis II Film 'Return to the Moon' Targets Summer 2027 Release
Space 11 and SK Films are making a film about NASA's Artemis II mission, and they are aiming for a worldwide theatrical release in summer 2027, according to Deadline.
The film is called Return to the Moon: The Story of Artemis II. Duncan Copp and Christopher Riley are directing it. Riley co-wrote The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks with the actor.
The film mixes NASA's own Artemis II footage with voices from the four astronauts who flew the mission. They are Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, who represents the Canadian Space Agency. The story runs from the launch pad to splashdown in the Pacific.
Space 11 is working with NASA under a Space Act Agreement, a formal arrangement between the two, to film giant-screen interviews with the crew. The film's synopsis says the spacecraft Integrity travelled 695,081 miles between April 1 and 11, 2026. It also says the craft reached 252,756 miles from Earth, which the synopsis describes as a new record for human spaceflight.
The producers are aiming for a rollout in PLF, short for premium large format, the big-screen presentations that include IMAX. A 45-minute version and a shorter format are planned for release through SK's network of giant-screen and specialty theatres. That network also includes IMAX theatres, museums, science centres and other institutional venues.
Andrea Iervolino, founder of Space 11, is a producer on the project, and Nicola Allieta will also take part in the production. Wendy MacKeigan is chief executive of SK Films. Bert Ulrich, who is executive vice president of production at Space 11, previously worked as NASA's film and television liaison.
What stands out is where the film is expected to play. Many of its planned venues are not ordinary multiplexes, and museums and science centres sit alongside the big-screen cinemas on the list. For a film built around a mission that has already flown, the release calendar gives audiences a long run-up. The summer 2027 target is still a plan, and no dates for the shorter formats have been set.
