Tom Hanks prepared for his London exhibition about past and future voyages to the Moon with a two-day visit to Nasa’s space centre in Houston, Texas.
The 67-year-old Hollywood star’s interviews with astronauts from the Artemis II programme at the Johnson Space Centre will be shown as part of his upcoming immersive show, The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks, at Lightroom in Kings Cross from December 6 until April 21.
Hanks said he hopes to tell “the most visceral and enthralling story to date of humanity’s journeys beyond our Earth”, with a “unique insight into the next time human beings will walk on the Moon – the Artemis missions”.
“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,” the American actor said.
“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 immersive exhibition was co-written by Hanks and Christopher Riley in a bid to “tell the stories of the Apollo missions, reflecting their gripping journeys at spectacular scale”.
It will include original Nasa footage and images from Andy Saunders’ Apollo Remastered project, which saw him digitally remaster and restore the original flight film from first missions to the Moon.
The show, which features a Hanks voiceover, has been brought to life by co-directors Nick Corrigan and Lysander Ashton.