Josh Gad Joins Roland Emmerich's Disaster Movie Moonfall

While Josh Gad is largely known for his comedic endeavors and his contributions to the Frozen franchise, the actor has reportedly been tapped to star in the upcoming disaster film Moonfall from director Roland Emmerich, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Despite Gad not being the go-to name to star in an action-thriller, Emmerich has proven with films like Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, and 2012 that he can take unexpected performers and turn them into compelling action performers. The upcoming project is set to head into production this fall, given the coronavirus pandemic subsides, though it doesn't currently have a target release date.

The outlet noted that the film's plot will "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."

It also notes that Gad's character, KC Houseman, is described 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."

While Emmerich might primarily be known for his spectacles focusing on catastrophes, his most recent film, Midway, chronicled a historical World War II battle. Earlier this year, Emmerich teased what inspired the upcoming disaster film.

"I've just been forever fascinated by the Moon. I don't know why that is, but I'm just fascinated by the Moon," the filmmaker shared with ComicBook.com. "And one day I read a book called 'Who Built The Moon' by two English guys and I was just so fascinated. And then I came up with this story off the Moon falling to Earth, but the Moon is not what we think it is. And that it's such a simple idea, but it's also a really complex idea because then you have to all of a sudden say, 'Oh, what is the Moon? Who built the Moon? Why is the Moon there? Why is the Moon falling? What can we do against it? How can we stop it? Where do we come from? Where is life coming from? How is Earth's only system we know of where life exists?' It's all these questions all of a sudden come up, and that's a super interesting subject for me."

Stay tuned for details on Moonfall.

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