The science fiction disaster film Moonfall, which Roland Emmerich co-wrote, directed, and produced, is scheduled for release in 2022. The cast includes Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, John Bradley, Michael Pea, Charlie Plummer, Kelly Yu, and Donald Sutherland. In this fictional account, two former astronauts and a conspiracy theorist team together to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the Moon from Earth’s orbit. It was one of the most expensive independent films ever made, with production costs between $138 and 146 million.
Casting for Roland Emmerich’s “Moonfall,” a Science Fiction Disaster Film
Ronald Emmerich may have the most films about the end of the world on his portfolio compared to other directors of his era. There are certain commonalities between these disaster films, despite their many diversity. Each story digs deep into an apocalyptic situation entirely out of this world. Secondly, someone will always be willing to give their life to save the world. A parallel case is Moonfall.
The cast of Moonfall, put together by Ronald Emmerich, is fantastic. Read on to discover who plays the primary roles and why they are essential.
Jocinda Fowler, played by Halle Berry
Jocinda “Jo” Fowler is a former astronaut and the current deputy director of NASA. After learning that the Moon has gotten out of its orbit and is headed for a collision with Earth, she sets out to find her former colleague, Brian Harper, to help her save the world. Jo finds out that NASA has been withholding a lot of information and that the Moon has even more secrets once she begins working on the expedition.
The only way she can protect the people she loves and the planet they live on is to put on her spacesuit and return to the Moon after a lengthy absence, precisely what she does.
Academy Award winner and famous face Halle Berry play Jo Fowler. Her directorial debut, the Netflix original feature Bruised, in which she also starred, added to her long list of film credits. Since her breakout roles in films like Monster’s Ball (for which she won an Oscar), Catwoman, and the X-Men movies (in which she played Ororo Munroe/Storm), Halle Berry has become a household name around the world. In an earlier season of Extant, she played an astronaut.
For his part as Brian Harper, Patrick Wilson
Brian’s standing at NASA is at an all-time low after the failure of his most recent mission. There was a time when he and Jo were working toward the same objective. Brian has been trying to stay out of the spotlight for a while, but a lunatic who believes the Moon will crash into Earth has tracked him down.
Though initially skeptical, Brian finally realized the validity of the reasoning and realized this was no ordinary natural disaster. Jo, Brian’s old coworker, calls to tell him that she’s hatching a plan to stop the calamity with Brian at the helm.
Playing Patrick Wilson, an actor, director, and vocalist with expertise in Broadway musicals plays Brian Harper. His 2019 project with Ronald Emmerich, Midway, will come out before Moonfall. Patrick Wilson is most known for his portrayal of Ed Warren in The Conjuring trilogy, although he has also acted in other famous horror films of the 2000s.
In addition to Insidious movies, he has also appeared in Aquaman, Watchmen, Prometheus, In the Tall Grass, and the T.V. series Fargo.
John Bradley’s portrayal of K.C. Houseman
A lifetime conspiracy theorist, K.C. Houseman (or “K.C.” for short) has always thought there was more going on with the Moon than meets the eye. He also believes that Earth’s natural satellite is a gigantic artificial structure. K.C. is the first to notice anything is wrong with the Moon’s orbit, and she contacts NASA about it.
When worldwide disasters occur, though, even Brian starts to wonder if K.C.’s claims aren’t at least partially valid. While K.C. isn’t an astronaut, he’s willing to assist Jo and Brian save the Moon and averting global catastrophe.
As K.C. Houseman, John Bradley has replaced Josh Gad. John Bradley’s career skyrocketed after his appearance as Samwell Tarly (Jon Snow’s best friend) on Game of Thrones.
Most recently, he appeared in the romantic comedy-drama Marry Me alongside Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. His other film credits include Grimsby, American Satan, and Patient Zero. He appeared in numerous episodes of Shameless.
While these three make up the bulk of Moonfall’s core cast, many other notable individuals are in the story.
Brenda Harper played by Carolina Bartczak
Brenda is Brian Harper’s ex-wife and the mother of their kid. Having recently remarried, she and her new husband are raising their two daughters. For the role of Brenda, the talented Carolina Bartczak steps in.
She has had leading roles in several successful movies and T.V. series, including X-Men: Apocalypse and The Smurfs 2 and Covert Affairs and The Bold Type, respectively.
Michael Pea’s portrayal of Tom Lopez
Brian’s ex-wife Brenda is now married to Tom Lopez, a wealthy luxury vehicle dealer. In place of Stanley Tucci, Michael Pea now fills the role. His appearances as Luis in the Ant-Man movies and Enrique “Kiki” Camarena on Narcos: Mexico on Netflix made him a household name.
Michael Pena is no stranger to the science fiction genre, having had key roles in films including The Martian, A Wrinkle in Time, and Extinction.
Sonny Harper played by Charlie Plummer
Sonny Harper, son of Brenda and Brian Harper, is rebellious and distant from his parents. He is portrayed by Charlie Plummer, who has starred in such films as Boardwalk Empire, Granite Flats, and Looking for Alaska.
After appearing in Ridley Scott’s 2017 criminal thriller, All the Money in the World, he shot to fame.
D. Sutherland as Holdenfield
In this clip, NASA archivist Holdenfield discusses the secrets of the Moon that were uncovered during the Apollo 11 mission with Jo Fowler. Donald Sutherland plays the part of Holdenfield. Despite his extensive film and T.V. resume—which includes roles in such diverse productions as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Ad Astra, Space Cowboys, and the shows Dirty Sexy Money and Crossing Lines—he is undoubtedly best known for his portrayal of President Snow in the Hunger Games film series.
Kelly Yu, who plays Michelle
Foreign exchange student Michelle looks out for Jo’s kid Jimmy while she goes out of town. So Young, The Ex-File 3: The Return of the Exes, Twenty, and Back to Earth are just a few Chinese films in which C-Pop singer Kelly Yu has appeared.
A four-star general in the United States Air Force, General Doug Davidson (Eme Ikwuakor) is Jo’s ex-husband and Jimmy’s dad. The actor playing him, Eme Ikwuakor, has been alongside Halle Berry in the sci-fi series Extant.
He has also made appearances on On My Block and Inhumans. The show’s protagonist is the Maloneys’ son Jimmy (Zayn Maloney). Zayn Maloney, who plays the part, makes his film debut in Moonfall. The films Station Eleven and The Boys both included cameos from him.
Is there a follow-up film to “Moonfall”?
Last but not least, Emmerich said that he originally intended for Moonfall to be the first of a trilogy, that he is unsure whether he still wants to make sequels, and that if he does do Moonfall 2 and 3, he will film them back to back, with the second one ending on a cliffhanger. In continuation, he said, “I’m not a big admirer of sequels either.
Conclusion
In Moonfall, the Moon’s orbit around Earth is disrupted for whatever reason, sending it hurtling toward human civilization. NASA executive and ex-astronaut Jo Fowler is sure she has the solution to save civilization just weeks before the asteroid is slated to crash.
Still, no one believes her except for a fellow ex-astronaut named Brian Harper and a conspiracy theorist named K.C. Houseman. These unlikely heroes will leave Earth and everyone they know to go on an impossible rescue mission in space. Thanks for stopping by.