When Pink Floyd wrote “The Dark Side of the Moon”, they definitely didn’t mean to predict an apocalypse, right? Or did they? Who knows? What we do know is that Moonfall will expose the darker side of Earth’s friendly neighborhood satellite.
Among tons of threats to Earth from outer space, the Moon is probably the last one you need or want to be afraid of but now you will. While people keep planning a future human colony on our satellite, Moonfall will definitely make you wonder if what you know about the Moon is at all real or not. And no, we're not just talking about the Moon landing conspiracy theories.
The upcoming sci-fi action movie explores a possible disaster to Earth caused by the Moon. It follows a NASA executive, a former astronaut, and a conspiracy theorist, who leave everything behind and set out on a mission to stop the Earth’s satellite from crashing into the planet.
The action-thriller comes from the mind of Roland Emmerich, a filmmaker known for some renowned disaster flicks like Independence Day and Independence Day: Resurgence, 2012, and The Day After Tomorrow, among similar sci-fi stories. If you have seen his earlier works, you would know that one can expect a lot of explosions, devastation, and apocalyptic events from Emmerich. So, Moonfall can be expected to follow suit, and perhaps even raise the bar higher.
Emmerich is also the co-writer on the project along with Harald Kloser and Spenser Cohen. Kloser is known for his earlier work on films like 2012 and 10,000 B.C. Kloser and Emmerich also serve as the producers of Moonfall.
From the title and the plot summary, Moonfall does sound like a standard space apocalypse movie. But we can assure you that there’s more to this movie and its story than just the Moon falling out of its orbit. So, let’s dig into all the details that we have gathered on this most-awaited sci-fi action thriller of early 2022. From the plot and release date to the cast and characters, trailer, and more, here’s everything we know so far about Moonfall.
Watch the Moonfall Trailer
Lionsgate, who is responsible for Moonfall's distribution, has so far released an announcement teaser on September 2, 2021, followed by a longer teaser trailer on November 1, 2021. In the first clip, we only get quick glimpses of the Moon hurtling towards the Earth with a voiceover of John F. Kennedy announcing the first landing on the moon. In a fast-moving montage, we see massive disasters taking place around the world, including devastating floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, civil wars, and fires. The clip also gives a first look at the characters played by Patrick Wilson and Halle Berry, who are NASA astronauts.
The second trailer is a little longer and gives more details about the plot. It opens with a narration from an old man recounting the events of the first Moon landing in 1969. We learn that what we thought we knew about Apollo 11’s expedition is “not true”. He claims that when the spacecraft lost contact with the Earth, something mysterious had happened and that there is so much more to our arrival on the Moon than what the common man knows. He ends with an ominous message stating that this will be the Earth’s sixth extinction. The suspense continues with action-packed scenes of utter chaos hitting the west coast of the United States. The trailer clip also reveals the lead characters as they try to do the impossible and stop this destruction by flying into the Moon.
When Is Moonfall’s Release Date?
As per the official announcements by Lionsgate, Moonfall is currently scheduled to land in theaters across the United States on February 4, 2022.
Who Is in Moonfall’s Cast?
Like its exciting storyline, the cast list of Moonfall is also quite impressive. The ensemble cast of the movie includes Halle Berry (X-Men, Monster's Ball), Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring), John Bradley (Game of Thrones), and Michael Peña (Ant-Man, American Hustle) in the leading roles. The team also includes Donald Sutherland (The Hunger Games), Charlie Plummer (All the Money in the World), Eme Ikwuakor (Extant), Kelly Yu (The Ex-File 3: The Return of the Exes), Carolina Bartczak (X-Men: Apocalypse), Maxim Roy (Shadowhunters), Stephen Bogaert (American Psycho), and Azriel Dalman, among others.
Who Are the Confirmed Characters in Moonfall?
The star-studded cast of Moonfall is all set to play some very exciting roles. Here are the most important characters who will be playing a part in the movie's story:
Halle Berry stars as Jo Fowler, a NASA executive. Fowler is a former astronaut and is now tasked with devising a plan to stop the Moon’s collision with Earth. Fowler probably has some idea about how she can stop this catastrophe but whether that works out or not is a different matter. Eme Ikwuakor plays Doug Davidson, who is a military official and Fowler’s ex.
Patrick Wilson appears as Brian Harper, a former NASA astronaut whose last mission didn’t end well. Fowler reaches out to Harper to find a way out of the impending doom. It’s possible they have a shared history that will become important in the course of the story.
John Bradley plays the role of K.C. Houseman, a conspiracy theorist who joins Harper and Fowler on the mission to stop the Moon’s collision with the Earth. Josh Gad was initially set to play this role but had to step off the project due to scheduling conflicts.
Michael Peña stars as Tom Lopez, a wealthy car dealer married to Harper’s ex-wife. Stanley Tucci was originally cast in the role but had to be replaced because COVID-19 travel restrictions prevented him from making it for the production.
Carolina Bartczak plays Brenda Lopez, Harper’s above-mentioned ex-wife.
As for the rest of the characters, Maxim Roy plays U.S Army Captain Gabriella Auclair, Stephen Bogaert plays NASA director Albert Hutchings, Charlie Plummer plays Sonny Harper, Kelly Yu plays Michelle, Donald Sutherland plays Holdenfield, and Azriel Dalman appears as Sonny Child.
When Is Moonfall Filming?
The production for Moonfall was scheduled to begin in March 2020 in Montreal. However, once COVID-19 hit Canada, the whole project was delayed by months and didn't start filming until October 2020. Filming on the movie finally wrapped in February 2021.
What Is Moonfall’s Plot?
Looking at the trailer, Moonfall looks a lot like a journey to the center of the moon. Only that, it’s less about the adventure and more about the danger.
Here's the official synopsis released by Lionsgate:
“A mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it. With mere weeks before impact and the world on the brink of annihilation, NASA executive and former astronaut Jo Fowler (Halle Berry) is convinced she has the key to saving us all – but only one astronaut from her past, Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson) and conspiracy theorist K.C. Houseman (John Bradley) believe her. These unlikely heroes will mount an impossible last-ditch mission into space, leaving behind everyone they love, only to find out that our Moon is not what we think it is.”
If you think that this is all that the movie is, then hold back, because the apocalypse is just a small part of the story. It's about conspiracies, terrible secrets, and their consequences and most importantly, Moonfall is about humanity’s biggest test of survival. And as our protagonists push all their limits to stop the massive celestial collision, the movie will leave you with the burning question, what if the Moon isn’t what we always thought it was?