Richard Linklater developing Moon landing adventure film for Netflix

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Richard Linklater is developing a new live-action/animated hybrid for Netflix titled APOLLO 10 1/2: A SPACE AGE ADVENTURE. The project, which was written and directed by Linklater, is set against the backdrop of the 1969 Apollo Moon mission and has also been inspired by Linklater's own childhood in Houston, Texas.

APOLLO 10 1/2: A SPACE AGE ADVENTURE is "told from two interwoven perspectives, capturing the astronaut and mission control view of the triumphant moment, and the lesser-seen bottom up perspective of what it was like from an excited kid’s perspective, living near NASA but mostly watching it on TV like hundreds of millions of others." The live-action portion of the film actually wrapped up back in March, while the hybrid of hand-drawn and computer animation will be completed at Minnow Mountain in Austin and Submarine in the Netherlands. In a statement, Richard Linklater said:

It struck me years ago that this was my film to make, from both a chronological and proximity level – I was there, going into 3rd grade. Our unique animation style allows both the conjuring of a world long gone, and the flowing, playful expression of memory and imagination. It’s been a fun, creative journey to incorporate things like 3D graphics into a live action shoot to help bring this story to life.

This won't be the first time that Richard Linklater has experimented with a hybrid film of this nature, as he wrote and directed A SCANNER DARKLY, which was based on the Philip K. Dick novel of the same name. APOLLO 10 1/2: A SPACE AGE ADVENTURE features an ensemble cast which includes Jack Black, Zachary Levi, Glen Powell, Josh Wiggins, Milo Coy, Lee Eddy, Bill Wise, Natalie L’Amoreaux, Jessica Brynn Cohen, Sam Chipman, and Danielle Guilbot.