Following a solid opening of the WWII pic Midway, Lionsgate is re-teaming with the film’s director Roland Emmerich by acquiring the North American distribution rights to his upcoming sci-fi feature Moonfall.
Set to go before the lens in 2020, the pic will be directed by Emmerich based on a script he penned with co-writers Harald Kloser and Spenser Cohen. The plot is about a mysterious force that 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 against all odds, a ragtag team launches an impossible last-ditch mission into space, leaving behind everyone they love and risking everything to land on the lunar surface and save our planet from annihilation.
Similar to Midway, Emmerich and his Centropolis Entertainment banner are independently producing and financing Moonfall and will oversee all aspects of production, financing, and delivery, and will collaborate with Lionsgate and its worldwide partners on marketing and distribution. Kloser will also produce through his company, Street Entertainment.
Centropolis raised equity funding together with CAA Media Finance and AGC. Centropolis and AGC launched film sales earlier this year at Cannes. AGC, which brokered the deal with Lionsgate, is handling worldwide sales.
Midway’s Veterans Day opening weekend fared well for the studio as the pic surpassed expectations taking in $17.5 million domestically, which put it at the No. 1 spot. The film has since grossed over $89 million worldwide.
Jason Constantine, Eda Kowan, and John Biondo oversaw the Moonfall deal for Lionsgate. Anant Tamirisa negotiated the deal for AGC Studios, and JP Pettinato and Richard Thompson negotiated on behalf of Centropolis Entertainment.
CAA reps the filmmakers.