Ray Fisher Joins An All-Star Cast For Zack Snyder’s Rejected Star Wars Movie
Ray Fisher reunites with Zack Snyder!
This article is more than 2 years old
Actor Ray Fisher has been announced to star in an upcoming Zack Snyder movie for Netflix. The Justice League star will appear in Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon, one of several movies that Snyder has partnered with the streaming giant to produce. Since the director’s departure from Warner Bros, for whom he had directed all but one of his previous films. Snyder was particularly noted for his work building the basic architecture of Warner Bros’ direct competitor to the MCU, DCEU. But after Man of Steel, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the years-long conflict over Justice League, Snyder appears to have moved over entirely to Netflix. And now he has brought one of his stars from the latter film, who has himself had extremely public conflicts with Warner Bros.
Ray Fisher appeared in several TV roles before entering the superhero movie business, but being cast as Cyborg/Victor Stone in Zack Snyder’s initial vision of the DCEU was his first film. After appearing in a cameo in Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, his character was intended to have a central role in the following Justice League. However, when a family tragedy required Snyder to leave production of Justice League before the film was finished, his role was allegedly heavily altered by incoming director Joss Whedon. After the lukewarm reception of the film, Fisher was publicly vocal in his criticism of the finished film, Warner Bros and specifically Whedon. He alleged on-set misconduct by the Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator, which was eventually supported by several other stars of the film, notably Wonder Woman actor Gal Gadot. Most recently, Fisher had harsh words for Whedon after the release of the director’s interview with Vulture (which was itself noted for being very poorly received).
Zack Snyder’s new film for Netflix, Rebel Moon, was originally envisioned as a Star Wars movie. However, after Lucasfilm was acquired by the Walt Disney Co. in 2012, he rewrote the story to be a standalone science fiction film. Ray Fisher will star as a “resistance fighter” (notably, not a member of the Rebel Alliance) named Blood Axe. He is joining a large ensemble cast, which will also include Djimon Hounsou, Charlie Hunnam, Bae Doona, Charlotte Maggi and Jena Malone. The plot of the film reportedly involves Sofia Boutella as the leader of a colony in a distant galaxy resisting an oncoming evil army. She then recruits mercenaries and warriors to help defend her home. While the movie may have been thought up as a Star Wars property, the plot also sounds remarkably inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. The legendary Japanese director was a formative influence on George Lucas’ original trilogy, so it seems like the circle is being closed here.
Rebel Moon will be Ray Fisher’s first major casting since Justice League. Zack Snyder has already directed and/or produced several films for Netflix, including Army of the Dead and Army of Thieves. He also has a forthcoming King Arthur film, which he has said will be both “a faithful retelling” and set in the American Gold Rush of the 1800s, which will be interesting to see how that works. Rebel Moon does not yet have a release date.
