The release of a Roland Emmerich movie is a moment of celebration for Hollywood. The director of “Independence Day” and “2012” is famous for the excesses of stories and events. The release of Emmerich’s latest Hollywood blockbuster, “Moonfall,” was supposed to culminate in a huge party at the Regency Theaters in Westwood, Los Angeles. The director and studio heads at Lionsgate decided a scaled-back event would be a better option.
COVID-19 Forces Party Changes
The rising number of cases of Omnicron, the COVID-19 variant, left studio heads concerned about bringing more than 1,000 people to the center of Hollywood. Instead, an intimate screening for the cast and selected guests at the TCL Chinese Theatre seemed appropriate to the writer/director. Roland Emmerich responded to the changes to the launch of his latest blockbuster by hosting the after-party in his garden. Revised invitations for the party listed the event space as “Casa La Brea.”
Emmerich owns an estate in Los Angeles capable of hosting an event for 300 in a socially-distanced way. The party was held around the swimming pool at Emmerich’s estate. A large moon decorated the pool area and allowed guests to recognize the importance of the moon to the movie they had watched earlier in the night.
Emmerich Enjoys a Night at Home
The party may have switched to the home of Roland Emmerich, but the guest list remained impressive. Alongside the cast, headed by Halle Berry, guests included Heidi Klum and Joey King. The party location included two bars and a food station. The food included pigs in blankets and salad bread.
The King of Disaster Movies
Roland Emmerich has been turning out blockbusters based on various disasters throughout his career. The “Independence Day” director explained he was unwilling to create a movie about the COVID-19 pandemic. The sadness around the COVID-19 pandemic has been building in the U.S. and beyond its borders. The “Moonfall” director explained he did not enjoy writing sad stories and would be avoiding the COVID-19 subject.
“Moonfall” brings a central role to the disaster movie for Halle Berry. The “Catwoman” star plays a NASA astronaut originally written as a male character. Emmerich explained he had always been interested in working with Berry and took the opportunity to rewrite the role for her.
