Emma Roberts’ NASA rom-com is the Legally Blonde of astronaut films

In 2013, NASA had its first class of potential astronauts consisting of 50% female candidates, and then director Liz W. Garcia (Purple hearts) read that she had many thoughts.

“I was surprised it had taken so long, but also happy that we finally got there, and I was moved to explore what it takes to become an astronaut candidate,” she told Polygon via email. “Once I learned how amazingly competitive it is to even get to the point of being considered, I knew I wanted to make a movie in that world because it’s so extreme.”

Space Cadetstarting July 4 on Prime Video, follows a Florida party girl named Rex (Emma Roberts, Mrs. Web) who dreams of going to space. She doesn’t have the right papers, but with the help of her best friend (Poppy Liu, American-born Chinese) she embellishes her resume a bit and somehow lands a spot in NASA’s astronaut training program.

She’s so determined to see the stars that she can impress the program directors (played by Gabrielle Union, Bring it onand Tom Hooper, The Umbrella Academy). But how long will she be able to maintain her less than factual resume and experience?

“As in Legally blonde or Private Benjamin, I was excited to show a heroine who was underrated and who had none of the cutthroat, purebred qualities we typically associate with elite success, but whose very down-to-earth, inclusive, feminine (!) approach would ultimately be what made her so good at the task at hand,” Garcia said. “It’s a feel-good film about the world as I would like it to be, where doors are open to everyone and women are celebrated.”