Channing Tatum has had quite an interesting career. In his earlier years, he guest-starred on the CSI franchise and has since become a highly-sought-after, successful actor. Tatum is currently in the midst of directing his first movie, Dog and, after that, he'll be taking his talents back to television through a behind-the-scenes role in an interesting new project.
The actor is (sort of) heading to space, with a little bit of help from HBO. The network is working to bring a six-episode, scripted limited series about baby-namer-extraordinaire Elon Musk’s space exploration company, SpaceX. But how does Channing Tatum factor into this? Well, the actor will serve as executive producer through his production company, Free Association, per Variety. Doug Jung, whose credits included Star Trek Beyond and The Cloverfield Paradox, will board the project as writer and executive producer.
So don't expect Channing Tatum to take on a role in front of the camera as one of the series' stars. The limited series, aptly titled SpaceX, is based on Ashlee Vance’s non-fiction book, Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future. Anyone who has followed Musk’s feats and reactions to SpaceX’s stunning achievements is probably experiencing their ears perking up as they read the news.
The series will chronicle how Elon Musk handpicked team of engineers to work on a distant Pacific Island and how their goal was to create and successfully launch SpaceX’s first rocket into orbit. Musk has been a pioneer in this field, and his efforts have made headlines. His cosmic work hasn't stopped there either, as he also has a space movie with Tom Cruise in the works. Though it should be mentioned that Musk is not actually attached to HBO's project, as of right now.
There's no word yet on who will play Elon Musk, but it's reasonable to assume that the search is going to be quite far-reaching. One thing that can be said is that this project could definitely boost the visibility of SpaceX. All in all, the project is another item that Tatum can check off on his busy quarantine schedule.
Coincidentally, Tatum’s upcoming TV effort comes as television is currently witnessing the arrival of The Right Stuff via Disney+. It chronicles NASA’s Project Mercury. It will be interesting to see how SpaceX compares to the anthology series based on the book and 1983 film of the same name. While The Right Stuff has more of a classic space vibe, SpaceX could offer audiences something that's a bit more contemporary.
One also can't help but imagine how visually stunning the series could be. HBO spares no expense when it comes to making sure its programs are feasts for the eyes. Game of Thrones alone is a clear example of that.
There is currently no premiere date for the SpaceX TV show, although I would say it is safe to assume that its launch will happen after this fall’s schedule. You can stream Channing Tatum in a couple of movies on Netflix. The films are streaming along with lots of 2020 TV premieres.
