German director Emmerich sells script to Universal and is set to direct the sci-fi story.

Roland Emmerich has sold his sci-fi script Moonfall to Universal and is set to direct the project for the studio.

Emmerich, whose Independence Day: Resurgence (pictured) opens this weekend in North America and around 60 international territories, wrote the script with Harald Kloser and Spencer Cohen. Emmerich and Kloser, who composed the music for Resurgence and several other Emmerich films and co-wrote 2012 and 10,000 BC with the director, will produce.

Moonfall centres on an astronaut and his team called into service when the moon falls out of orbit and heads for a collision with the earth.

Sony Pictures was reportedly also in the running for the project.

Independence Day: Resurgence, sequel to Emmerich’s 1996 smash Independence Day, opened at more than 4,000 North American locations on Thursday (June 23) through 20thCentury Fox. The original film had a $50.2m domestic opening weekend and went on to gross $306.2m in North America and $511.2m internationally.