Josh Gad to Star in Roland Emmerich’s Disaster Thriller ‘Moonfall’ (Exclusive)

Josh Gad is flying to the moon.

The multihyphenate has closed a deal to star in Moonfall, Roland Emmerich’s latest disaster thriller.

Lionsgate, which partnered with Emmerich on his last picture, the World War II actioner Midway, has North American rights to the project, which is eyeing a production start this fall.

Penned by Emmerich and 2012 co-writer Harald Kloser and Spenser Cohen, Moonfall sees its plot go into action when the moon is knocked from its orbit by a mysterious force and is on a collision course with Earth. Life as we know it hangs in the balance and with just weeks to go before impact, a ragtag team is sent on a seemingly impossible mission to land on the lunar surface and save humanity.

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Gad is the first person cast in the ensemble and will play a character named KC Houseman, described by the filmmakers as odd and unkempt in a way that suggests a high level of intelligence and an equally high level of disorganization. He is a genius who correctly predicts that the moon has fallen out of its orbit, thus making the space-obsessed, profoundly unfiltered and eccentric man one of the most important people on Earth.

Emmerich is producing Moonfall under his Centropolis banner with Kloser producing through his company, Street Entertainment.

As he did with Midway, Emmerich and Centropolis are independently producing and financing Moonfall, overseeing all aspects of production, financing and delivery. They are also collaborating with Lionsgate and AGC International, which sold out the film worldwide in Cannes 2019, on marketing and distribution.

The Tony Award-nominated Gad is currently riding high thanks to his recently launched 1980s-centric YouTube series, Reunited Apart. The first episode brought back the cast and filmmakers behind The Goonies, while the second, released this week, rejoined the major players behind the Back to the Future movies. He is also prepping for the May 29 debut of Central Park, an animated series he co-created for Apple+

Gad, who will also be seen in Disney’s upcoming Artemis Fowl, is repped by WME and Ziffren Brittenham.