Sony Classics Going to the "Moon" in June

Sam Rockwell in "Moon." Image courtesy Sundance Film Festival

Duncan Jones' sci-fi thriller "Moon" will be distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, the company announced ahead of the film's Friday night premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. The film came to Sony Pictures Classics through Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisition Group, which had pre-bought the rights to the film. SPC plans a June 2009 theatrical release.

Set in the near future, "Moon" stars Sam Rockwell ("Frost/Nixon") as Sam Bell, an astronaut assigned by Lunar Industries to a three-year mission mining Helium 3 on the moon, the earth's new energy source. As his contract comes to an end and Sam's health starts to deteriorate, painful headaches, hallucinations and a lack of focus lead to an almost fatal accident. While recuperating, Sam meets a younger, angrier version of himself, who claims to be there to fulfill the same three- year contract Sam started all those years ago.

"'Moon' returns science fiction filmmaking to its purest form," commented producer Trudie Styler in a statement. "As a champion of first time filmmakers, I am delighted that Sony Pictures Classics shares our enthusiasm for this project and will bring it to audiences across the country."