Daytime alum Jacob Young (ex-Rick Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful; ex-J.R. Chandler, All My Children) has an out-of-this-world new role. The fan-favorite actor will be taking on real-life astronaut John S. Bull in Prepare for Launch, an upcoming biopic set in 1968.
"It's truly an honor to be portraying Lt John S Bull. Pilot, NASA Apollo Astronaut, family man, and patriot," Young says in an Instagram post that includes a photo of him posing alongside an original portrait of the American astronaut.
Bull was a United States Navy lieutenant and fighter pilot who was selected as one of the 19 astronauts in NASA Group 5 to fly to the moon as part of Project Apollo in 1966. Unfortunately, he never made it to space because he developed pulmonary disease, which forced him to resign as an astronaut. However, he did go on to work at NASA's Ames Research Center in California.
According to an official character description for the film, Bull is a steadfast, honest, and objective-driven man "who works to guarantee his own success through constant research and career progress at NASA. He is loved by his family and friends and loves them the same, but he often prioritizes the immediacy of his work over his expectations as a father."
In a casting move that will excite All My Children fans, actress Amanda Baker will once again be playing Young's wife. But rather than playing J.R.'s other half, Babe Carey, she'll be taking on the role of Bull's wife, Nancy.
Prepare for Launch describes Nancy as a woman who "balances patience and honesty as a mother of her twelve year old son, Jeffery [Ethan Pogue], and as wife and best friend of her husband, John. She shares her husband's love for space, keeping up in highly technical conversations with ease which often takes its toll on her friendships with other women in their community who don't find the same passion in the sciences."
Young took to Instagram with a photo of himself with Baker and their new on-screen son, Pogue. "Great day of filming @prepareforlaunchfilm with my movie family," he shared.
It looks as if the producers of Prepare for Launch are pulling out all the stops to make sure the film is top-notch. In addition to, em, stellar casting, the project is including period-appropriate details like vintage cars, costumes, and space suits. Plus, the film's crew built an Apollo Capsule to use in scenes involving Young and his costar McTyere Parker, who is playing fellow Group 5 astronaut James Irwin, and they have secured a real-life space station for filming.
Prepare for Launch is currently set to continue filming through the month of December, and the film is expected to be released in March of 2021. Check back to Soap Central for updates as they come.
Young made his daytime debut on B&B, where he played Rick Forrester from 1997 to 1999. He went on to play General Hospital's Lucky from 2000 to 2003, and then took on the role of All My Children's J.R. in 2003. When AMC was canceled in 2011, Young returned to the role of B&B's Rick. He was dropped to recurring status at the CBS soap opera in 2018 and has since been pursuing a music career and other acting roles. Some of his more recent projects include Killer Vacation, The Road Home for Christmas, yA, Angel, and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. He also recently announced plans to launch a mental health podcast called Real Conversations with Jacob Young.
Amanda Baker played the role of AMC's Babe from 2007 to 2008, and reappeared on the soap in 2009 in ghost form. Her other credits include General Hospital: Night Shift (ex-Jolene Crowell), One Tree Hill, Hello Sister, Goodbye Wife, The Other Side, Campus Ladies, Rules of Engagement, and Black Lightning.
What do you think about the casting and premise of Prepare for Launch? What do you think about Jacob Young and Amanda Baker playing husband and wife again? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
