Roland Emmerich Goes Deep on Moonfall, Why He Didn’t Want to do Godzilla, and His Long Career
55If you’re a fan of Roland Emmerich and would love to hear him talk about his career, you’re about to be very happy. That’s because last week, after a long break due to COVID, the Collider/IMAX screening relaunched in Los Angeles with Emmerich’s newest movie, Moonfall — and after the screening ended, he participated in an extended Q&A.
During the 45-minute conversation, Emmerich shared some great behind-the-scenes stories about making Moonfall, how they pulled off the complicated VFX on their budget, and why he wanted to cast John Bradley. He also spoke about what they had to go through to get Donald Sutherland to agree to be in the movie, why people love watching end of the world movies, being surprised NASA wanted to be involved, and tons of other cool behind-the-scenes stories that directors rarely share.
But for me, the best parts of the Q&A were hearing Emmerich talk about how he got into directing, what it was like having his first and only film in German get into the Berlin Film Festival, and why he didn’t want to direct Godzilla. We also had a great time talking about how he tried to direct Gladiator but when he met with Steven Spielberg, they had just given the project to Ridley Scott, and other stories you’ll be surprised to hear.
If you haven’t seen the trailer, or the first five minutes of the movie, Moonfall tells the story of an unlikely team of individuals (Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson and Bradley) who are tasked with saving the Earth when the moon is knocked off its orbit by a mysterious force and comes hurtling towards earth. Moonfall also stars Michael Peña, Kelly Yu, Eme Ikwuakor, Carolina Bartczak, Sutherland, and Charlie Plummer.
Roland Emmerich
If someone has never seen anything he’s directed before, what is the first thing they should watch and why?
Which of his films changed the most in the editing room and why?
How he became a director.
What was his reaction when he saw Star Wars and Close Encounters when he was younger?
What was it like for him directing his first sci-fi movie after having such a strong reaction to other sci-fi movies?
How his first film (and his only film in German) ended up in the Berlin Film Festival.
Which of his over 20 films were the toughest to get financing on and why?
He breaks down how much Moonfall cost to make and the various things they had to pay for like COVID protection etc.
How it’s very hard to get original movies made nowadays.
Does he have any interest in revisiting his older movies and fixing anything or tweaking a VFX shot?
I play word association with him where I mention one of his movies and he says the first word or two that goes with it. The movies include Universal Solider, Stargate, Independence Day, Godzilla, The Patriot, The Day After Tomorrow, and Stonewall.
Why he did everything he could to not make Godzilla.
Why do people love watching end of the world movies?
How did Moonfall change when he was putting it together?
Did he have a much longer cut of Moonfall?
The challenges of doing Moonfall on the budget he had. Talks about how they didn’t have a second unit and having to cut out 8 or 9 shooting days.
How does it work when he hires a VFX company for shots and what it costs?
How he was surprised NASA was willing to be involved in the film.
How did NASA help?
Had he been watching Game of Thrones and said I want John Bradley for the movie?
How did casting work with Lionsgate?
What were the most complicated VFX shots to pull off and why?
How did they script and design the car chase in changing gravity?
How did they design the inside of the Moon’s superstructure?
The challenges of getting Donald Sutherland to agree to be in the movie.
Has he read any other conspiracy theories that have made him think about making a movie based on the idea?
When does Harald Kloser start writing the music?
The Shining homage in Moonfall.
Bradley’s character arc and how they figured it out.
After 20 something films, how has Emmerich changed on set when he is directing?
Why he was stressed at the beginning of the shoot.
How many takes does he like to do?
Why he always starts with the master.
How does he like to direct someone when they are reacting to something that will be added in post-production?
Why did he want to work with cinematographer Robby Baumgartner on Moonfall?
Has he thought about developing any television projects?
How after Independence Day was a huge hit, he met with Steven Spielberg about projects he might want to do. He was interested in Gladiator but they had given the project to Ridley Scott a week or two before.
#Moonfall #Godzilla #RolandEmmerich
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