Channing Tatum, Greg Berlanti board Scarlett Johansson starrer 'Project Artemis'

American actor Channing Tatum and filmmaker-scriptwriter Greg Berlanti have come on board to respectively star and direct Apple Studios' big-budget project, 'Project Artemis', which already has Scarlett Johansson starring in it.

According to sources, Tatum is in negotiations while Berlanti has closed his deal on the high-flying project that had been brought back following two big departures. Initially Jason Bateman was set to direct the feature but in early June he left due to creative differences.

The search for a director and Berlanti's availability re-jigged the schedule, which then forced Chris Evans, who was originally on board to star alongside Johansson, to bow out due to scheduling conflicts.

Rose Gilroy wrote the script for the project, the logline details of which are being kept secret although it is described as a romantic comedy set against the backdrop of the 1968 Apollo 11 moon launch.

Johansson will serve as producer under her These Pictures banner. Jonathan Lia and Keenan Flynn will produce alongside Johansson for These Pictures. Apple Studios is also acting as producer.

This is Tatum's first deal since coming off the surprise hit 'The Lost City', Paramount's romantic adventure movie that also starred Sandra Bullock, which grossed over USD 105 million in the US, as per reports.