Zack Snyder, the visionary director behind 300, Watchmen and Justice League, is taking us to a galaxy far, far away with his latest project, Rebel Moon. The film, which will debut on Netflix on Dec. 22, is a sci-fi fantasy adventure that follows a young woman who leads a resistance against a tyrannical ruler. Here’s everything you need to know about the film, which is inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai and Star Wars.
Rebel Moon is a concept that Snyder has been working on since college. “I’ve always been obsessed with this idea of this sort of desperate stand against an evil empire,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in July 2021. The film was originally pitched as a Star Wars spin-off, but after talks with Lucasfilm didn’t advance, Snyder reworked it into an original property.
The film will be split into two parts, each with two different cuts: one for general audiences and one for adults and fans of Snyder’s style. The decision to expand the film came after Netflix film boss Scott Stuber suggested that shorter movies perform better on the streaming service. Snyder’s script was 172 pages long, which would translate to a nearly three-hour movie.
“Zack said, ‘If you ask me to make this less than two hours, I’m going to lose all the character. You won’t care about these people. It’s a character story about how people can change, and redemption and what are you willing to fight for…’ So he said, ‘What if I give you two movies?’” Deborah Snyder, Zack’s producing partner and wife, told Vanity Fair in a first look interview published on Tuesday.
The first part of Rebel Moon will premiere on Netflix on Dec. 22, while the second part will follow shortly after. “It won’t be long after. Netflix can do things that a traditional studio can’t do as far as how close together the movies are released,” Zack Snyder said.
The film follows a young woman named Kora (Sofia Boutella) who has a mysterious past and is sent out by a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy to find warriors from neighboring planets to help them fight against the armies of the tyrant Balisarius. The film has a star-studded cast that includes Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Ray Fisher, Anthony Hopkins and more.
“I think for fans of mine and people who are ready to take a deeper, harder dive, that’ll be fun for them,” Zack Snyder said of the adult-oriented cut of the film. He also revealed that he built a real life village in the Santa Clarita canyon outside of Los Angeles for the film, complete with starfighter decoys and fields of wheat.
Rebel Moon is a ballad of galactic resistance in a way only Zack Snyder could perform it. If you’re looking for an epic space adventure with stunning visuals and compelling characters, don’t miss it on Netflix this December.
Relevant articles:
Zack Snyder Says Netflix Space Opera ‘Rebel Moon’ Will Be A Two-Parter; Each Chapter To Get Multiple Cuts, Deadline, June 6, 2023
Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon Will Be Two Netflix Films, Get Director’s Cut …, The Hollywood Reporter, June 6, 2023
What is Rebel Moon? Zack Snyder Space Fantasy Release Date … – Netflix, Netflix Tudum News, Jan 18, 2023
Netflix Reveals Zack Snyder’s ‘Rebel Moon’ Release Date, CNET, Jan 18, 2023