Halle Berry boards Roland Emmerich's 'Moonfall'

Emmerich, best known for directing movies such as "Independence Day", "The Day After Tomorrow" and "2012", has penned the script with Harald Kloser and Spenser Cohen.

The plot follows the aftermath of when the moon is knocked from its orbit by a mysterious force and is on a collision course with Earth.

Life hangs in the balance and with just weeks to go before impact, a ragtag team is sent on a near impossible mission to land on the lunar surface and save humanity.

Berry join actor Josh Gad in the film's ensemble cast. She will essay the role of a NASA astronaut-turned-administrator whose previous space mission holds a clue about an impending catastrophe.

Gad will play a character named KC Houseman, who has been described as odd and unkempt in a way that suggests a high level of intelligence and an equally high level of disorganisation.

A genius who correctly predicts that the moon has fallen out of its orbit, KC is a space-obsessed and an eccentric man.

Emmerich is producing the film under his Centropolis banner with Kloser via his company, Street Entertainment.

The makers are hoping to start production later this year.