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

In 2013, NASA had its first class of potential astronauts made up of 50% female candidates, and when director Liz W. Garcia (Purple Hearts) read that fact she had a lot of thoughts.

“I was surprised that it had taken so long, but also pleased that we’d finally gotten there, and I was moved to look into what it takes to become an astronaut candidate,” she told Polygon over email. “Once I learned how astonishingly competitive it is to even get to the point that you’re being considered, I knew I wanted to set a movie in that world, because it’s so extreme.”

Space Cadet, out July 4 on Prime Video, follows a Florida party girl named Rex (Emma Roberts, Madame Web) who dreams of going to space. She doesn’t have the proper credentials, but with the help of her best friend (Poppy Liu, American Born Chinese) she embellishes her resume a little and somehow lands a spot in NASA’s astronaut training program.

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

“Like in Legally Blonde or Private Benjamin, I was excited to show a heroine who was underestimated and who had none of the cut-throat, pedigreed 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 movie about the world as I’d like it to be, where doors are open to everyone and women are celebrated.”