Halle Berry's Moonfall Role Was Originally 'More Male-Oriented,' Says Director Roland Emmerich

Lionsgate / Courtesy Everett

Halle Berry changed the name of the game in Moonfall.

While recently speaking with Entertainment Tonight, director Roland Emmerich told the outlet that the 55-year-old actress' role in the upcoming sci-fi disaster film was originally written for a man.

Of the reimagining of the role, astronaut Jocinda "Jo" Fowler, Emmerich said, "It was kind of a relatively conscious decision at one point."

"It was more male-oriented and then we kind of said to ourselves, 'Why can't it be a woman?' " recalled the filmmaker, 66. "And then you say, 'Who's kind of cool in a way [that works for this film?],' and then we come relatively fast to Halle Berry because she's a little bit older and she has done a lot of stuff."

"And she was the first person to be approached and immediately said, 'Yes,' " he shared.

Lionsgate Halle Berry goes to space in 'Moonfall.'

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In the same conversation, Berry joked to her costar Patrick Wilson of their main roles, "Your work wife could have been a man, Patrick."

"That's right," he replied. "Hey, I'm fine with a man 'work wife.' It was awesome, come on! I've wanted to work with Halle for a long time, so I'll take it [in] whatever form it comes, even if we're in crazy space suits trying to act like we're floating."

"So it was a complete joy," Wilson raved.

RELATED VIDEO: Watch Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson and John Bradley in Teaser Trailer for Moonfall

Moonfall follows former astronaut and NASA executive Jo Fowler (Berry) as she recruits astronaut Brian Harper (Wilson) and conspiracy theorist K.C. Houseman (John Bradley) for a mysterious mission into space.

Alongside Berry, Wilson and Bradley, 33, the film also stars Michael Peña, Charlie Plummer, Kelly Yu, Eme Ikwuakor and Carolina Bartczak. Donald Sutherland also appears.

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly last month, Emmerich said he came up with the concept for Moonfall when he read Who Built the Moon? by Christopher Knight and Alan Butler. There, it was the first time he came across "the idea that maybe the moon is not what we think it is, that it's built rather than natural."

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"Some people believe that megastructures are a built shell around a star," he explained. "Enormous, enormous structures that are more or less like a cage around a captured star."

Moonfall hits theaters Friday.