The Moonwalkers, a new immersive experience announced as premiering at London’s Lightroom immersive art space in December, will offer a unique perspective on humankind’s past and future voyages to the moon, including filmed interviews between writer and narrator of The Moonwalkers, Tom Hanks. and astronauts of the current Artemis programme.
For The Moonwalkers, Hanks and co-writer Christopher Riley tell the stories of the Apollo missions, with their gripping journeys projected across the four walls and floor of the Lightroom immersive space. Original NASA footage and breath-taking images from Andy Saunders’ Apollo Remastered will transform Lightroom’s vast space into an immersive journey to the lunar surface, brought to life by co-directors Nick Corrigan and Lysander Ashton of 59 Productions – the team behind Lightroom’s David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away), with previous work including Apollo 50: Go for the Moon at the Washington Monument in collaboration with The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, marking fifty years since Apollo 11 touched down.
Projection comes courtesy of 14x Panasonic PT-RQ22K 20,000 lumens, 4k resolution, 3-Chip DLP projectors, projecting across the walls of the space, with 14x Panasonic PT-RZ12K 12,000 lumens, HD resolution, 3-Chip DLP projectors handling the floor – with immersive storytelling by disguise. Immersive sound from HOLOPLOT delivers crystal clear audio for the interviews, with an original orchestral score by Anne Nikitin sweeping around the space. Her previous work includes the Apple TV+ hit series HIJACK starring Idris Elba, and the cult heist movie American Animals starring Evan Peters and Barry Keoghan.
Actor and writer Hanks has a lifelong passion for space. He served on the Board of Governors of the National Space Society and has been honoured by the Space Foundation. Hanks produced the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, co-wrote IMAX film Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D. He won acclaim for his performance as astronaut Captain Jim Lovell in Apollo 13.
Hanks said:“Growing up as humankind was first going to the moon, I was transfixed by the Apollo missions and dreamed of making the voyages with the astronauts. I’ve worked on several projects that have attempted to bring alive the breathtaking scale of going to the moon and the razor-edge drama of each journey, each chapter of Apollo. The extraordinary and unique production capabilities of Lightroom allow me, alongside Christopher Riley, to tell what we believe is the most visceral and enthralling story to date of humanity’s journeys beyond our earth, including a unique insight into the next time human beings will walk on the moon: the Artemis missions.”
Co-writer Christopher Riley is a double BAFTA-nominated writer-director whose work includes many of the most groundbreaking films and television programmes about space exploration for the likes of the BBC, National Geographic, Disney, Netflix, and PBS.
Lightroom’s CEO and producer of The Moonwalkers, Richard Slaney, added: “Lightroom’s mission is to create new kinds of experiences with the world’s greatest creative voices, using groundbreaking technology to tell stories for everyone. Tom Hanks is an icon, with unparalleled experience of great cinematic storytelling, and has a true passion and expertise for the history of space exploration. Alongside a world-class international creative team, he’s the perfect person to bring to life the Apollo and Artemis missions as never before and unlock even more of Lightroom’s potential. It seems timely to be telling this story now as countries from across the world launch missions to understand more about our closest celestial neighbour.”
Lightroom is London’s new home for spectacular artist-led shows, having launched with David Hockney: Bigger and Closer (not smaller & further away), which is currently playing until 3 December 2023 and will return in 2024 in repertory with future shows.
The Moonwalkers opens December 6 and tickets are available now.
