Man on the Moon, starring Jim Carrey, is the forthcoming film biography based on the eccentric life and work of the late comedian Andy Kaufman, who died at the age of 34 in 1984. Kaufman was an anarchic personality who utterly disappeared into the characters he invented, including the obnoxious lounge singer Tony Clifton, or Latka Gravas, the sweet foreigner in the TV series, "Taxi".

The title track, Man On The Moon was first heard on R.E.M’s 1992 release, Automatic For The People. A song that brilliantly captures the spirit of Kaufman’s comic genius, it is also R.E.M’s affectionate and affecting paean to Andy Kaufman. The soundtrack also highlights the new R.E.M single and video " The Great Beyond ", which has been climbing the charts at US radio stations. Both these songs evoke the mystery, childlike appeal, and spiritual yearning at the heart of Kaufman's desperate -- and desperately funny -- efforts to escape and transcend the prison of the self. Quite incidentally, the songs also capture the simultaneous fear and wonder of the current millennial moment, as does the beautifully simple orchestral score the band composed.