Moonfall is one of the most anticipated 2022 movies. It has an electrifying cast that’s led by Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson, and the premise of Moonfall sets up a thrilling action-adventure flick. Additionally, Roland Emmerich has built a legacy of creating heart-pumping science fiction movies. Moonfall may be one of his most intriguing films yet.
Roland Emmerich has given just enough information for fans to follow the breadcrumbs and figure out what to expect with this movie, but he has kept plenty of details under wraps to hopefully ensure we'll have a fun, surprising theater experience. Moonfall will arrive in theaters soon, so let’s explore what’s already known about this upcoming film.
Moonfall Premieres In February 2022
Lionsgate plans to release Moonfall exclusively in theaters on February 4, 2022. It will be one of the first major big-budget films of 2022. In 2019, when the film first received funding, it was set to premiere sometime in 2021. However, due to delays because of the COVID-19 pandemic, filming on Moonfall was pushed back several months.
Winter seems like the ideal season to premiere Moonfall because a science fiction disaster movie feels on-brand for the doom and gloom vibe of the winter season.
Halle Berry And Patrick Wilson Lead The Moonfall Cast
Halle Berry leads the cast as Jo Fowler. She’s a former astronaut who first discovers that something dangerous and potentially deadly is about to occur. According to Emmerich, she becomes the director of NASA after an incident makes her go from second in command to the one in charge. She tries to warn others about the moon possibly causing trouble for the earth, but others don’t start to believe her until it’s almost too late.
Patrick Wilson plays astronaut Brian Harper. Brian and Jo have a past, and he is one of the few people who believe her initial claims about an impending disaster. He joins the mission to try to stop the moon from destroying the earth.
John Bradley plays K.C Houseman, a conspiracy theorist who Emmerich describes as being the comic relief and heart of Moonfall. He even compared Bradley’s Game of Thrones character, Samwell Tarly, to his character in this movie, and said that both characters are funny but bring a lot of heart to the project. Houseman is the first person to discover orbiting issues with the moon.
Moonfall’s Supporting Cast Features An Exciting Ensemble Of Actors, Including Michael Pena And Donald Sutherland
Stanley Tucci was originally cast to have a major role in Moonfall. However, according to Deadline, Tucci had to exit the project due to government-imposed travel restrictions, and Michael Peña took over the role. Peña plays Tom Lopez, a wealthy car dealer married to Brian’s ex-wife. Carolina Bartczak plays Brian’s ex-wife Brenda. Deadline describes her as “loving and fierce.”
Donald Sutherland plays the person who controls NASA’s secret archives. He has an internal battle of whether he’s morally obligated to reveal the truth to the world about the Apollo moon landing or keep NASA’s secrets. Maxim Roy plays Gabriella Auclair, an army captain that assists the mission to stop the moon from destroying the world.
Stephen Bogaert plays the NASA Director Albert Hutchings. Eme Ikwuakor plays a military official and the ex-partner and father of the son of Halle Berry’s character. The Moonfall cast also includes Charlie Plummer and Kelly Yu.
The Hollow Moon Theory Inspired The Moonfall Plot
In an interview with Vanity Fair (linked above), Roland Emmerich shared that the Hollow Moon theory was a major inspiration for Moonfall. He read several books on the concept, including Who Built The Moon by Christopher Knight and Alan Butler. From what Emmerich told Vanity Fair, after reading up on different conspiracy theories being proposed, which they didn't quite believe, they ended up deciding to create their own theory.
Emmerich co-wrote the script of Moonfall with Harald Kloser and Spenser Cohen. We'll have to wait and see how their version of the theory works when the movie hits theaters.
I am not a scientist, so my explanation of the Hollow Moon theory may be really off, but from what I have gathered, it’s the idea that the moon either has nothing inside of it or it has a very big interior and more going on inside of it than can be observed.
The Moonfall Trailer Shows Civilization Collapsing
The Moonfall trailer shows a lot without giving away too much of the film. It sets up a world completely on the brink of destruction, from civil unrest to massive explosions to the moon taking out anything in its way. The Moonfall trailer also does a good job of setting up the movie’s heroes. We see plenty of shots of Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, and John Bradley. Donald Sutherland also narrates most of the trailer and shows how the moon may be much more than people suspect.
The trailer makes Moonfall look visually breathtaking, which is understandable with a $140 million budget. It makes it clear that like movies such as Gravity, Interstellar, and 1917, Moonfall will be more impactful if seen on a big screen.
Roland Emmerich Called The Film A Mixture Between 2012 And Independence Day
In 2019, while at Cannes, Emmerich started to discuss Moonfall more in-depth to secure financing for the film. He told Deadline this about Moonfall and compared it to some of his previous films.
If you like my movies, you’ll like this movie. It’s very much like 2012 and Independence Day. It’s a mix of the two, but without an extraterrestrial element. There is a big twist at some point, but I don’t want to give that away now. I had a very clear idea about the tone I wanted on this film.
If you’ve seen 2012 or the movie Independence Day, you can likely draw comparisons between Moonfall's trailer and Emmerich’s previous films. In the same Deadline article, Emmerich mentioned seeing Moonfall as a potential franchise starter, so this may just be the beginning of films exploring the dangers of the moon and other objects in the sky.
Moonfall starring Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, and John Bradley hits theaters on February 4, 2022. It’s one of those movies that seems like a must-watch on a big screen, especially to appreciate all the stunning visuals.
