Rebel Moon
Rebel Moon is the space opera coming to Netflix from Zack Snyder. The cast has some bigger names in it, but it will likely be a sweeping tale with a number of different story arcs.
Zack Snyder is staying busy after the success of the Netflix hit Army of the Dead. It seems the partnership between Snyder and Netflix is going to continue beyond the already-announced sequel to Army of the Dead and the spin-off series. He will return to the streaming platform for the announced sci-fi fantasy epic, Rebel Moon. What do we know so far? This page will stay updated with everything we learn as Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon is made.
SEE THE FIRST IMAGES FROM REBEL MOON
Zack Snyder’s upcoming space opera epic finally has some visuals. The director of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has always been lauded for his stylistic panache, and it seems his upcoming new collaboration with Netflix will not disappoint.
Snyder has recently posted some pictures from the production of his new film Rebel Moon, which began as a Star Wars pitch (pre-Disney takeover) that he has now rewritten to be a standalone piece.
REBEL MOON STARTED AS A STAR WARS PITCH
The new Rebel Moon was once reportedly a failed Star Wars pitch that Zack Snyder made back in 2012 when George Lucas was still running the show. However, since the more family-friendly Disney bought the rights to the entire Star Wars universe, Snyder’s more adult-themed Star Wars film was quickly cast to the side.
Since that occurrence, it appears that he has continued cultivating the script and concepts behind this would-be sci-fi epic. The concept art for Rebel Moon was revealed by Snyder and threw fans into a tizzy immediately. Although the concept art showed looked to be different-looking soldiers of some kind, fans immediately began to formulate theories that these could have very well been his version of stormtroopers.
Whether or not the reports are true and Rebel Moon was meant to be the more adult version of a Star Wars film that has been cast aside, Zack Snyder is now throwing his hat in the ring of creating a sci-fi epic that could change the course of his career.
With how successful the Dune reboot was, it could be Snyder’s time to give fans a different look at what Star Wars might have been or could have been under his creative control.
THE CAST INCLUDES SOFIA BOUTELLA, CHARLIE HUNNAM, DJIMON HOUNSOU, AND RAY FISHER
Zack Snyder is a self-proclaimed Star Wars fan, so this new Rebel Moon film could be what he needs to showcase in order to allow Disney to hand him the keys to a potential future Star Wars film. However, Snyder is more intuned with allowing the more adult side of things to take over, so that might not be the best idea.
Sofia Boutella is set to play the lead role of Kora. She will have been sent to save the galaxy in this one and the clear hero. She’s recently been seen in Cabinet of Curiosities and Hotel Artemis.
The Hollywood Reporter recently revealed that some new cast members joined the Netflix film. Those stars include Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Bae Doona, and Ray Fisher. They join the already-announced Jena Malone, Staz Nair, E. Duffy, Charlotte Maggi, and Sky Yang.
The additional character descriptions are vague and minimal. Hounsou is reportedly going to be playing General Titus, but there is no word on if he’s the villain or a hero. Bae is set to be some sort of proficient sword wielder, and Fisher is playing a resistance fighter who is aptly named Blood Axe.
Little to nothing else is known about who each actor is going to be portraying, and that could be due to Zack Snyder doing his best to hide details i.e. Star Wars.
REBEL MOON IS A SPACE OPERA ABOUT A PLANET UNDER ATTACK
So far, the plot for Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon is as follows: a peaceful colony at the edge of the galaxy finds itself in peril, as a tyrannical army known as the Regent Belisarius threatens their existence.
The colony enlists a woman with a strange past (Boutella) to seek out warriors from across the galaxy in order to stop the impending threat of this army. It sure sounds to be that the makings of a Star Wars film, as the Belisarius could be the empire, and the strange past woman might be reminiscent of Rey, or even a play on Luke Skywalker. Although the similarities are there, this film might be something completely different.
ZACK SNYDER HAD NETFLIX SUCCESS WITH ARMY OF THE DEAD
Netflix picked up Rebel Moon immediately but that could be due to the fact that Army of the Dead became one of the highest-viewed films in Netflix history. During its first four weeks on the streaming platform, the film racked up an astounding 75 million viewers in July. Per a Complex article written in December of 2021, Army of the Dead sits at #9 all-time with 187 million viewers.
That number might be a bit higher or lower as of right now, but that is likely why Zack Snyder was able to court Netflix again for the upcoming Rebel Moon. It is no secret that Snyder is controversial and wildly popular among fans of pop culture and comics.
Speaking of the controversial news, Zack Snyder will be pairing again with Ray Fisher, as both worked together on the 2017’s Justice League and the more accepted 2020 Justice League: Snyder Cut. Fisher famously called out the treatment of Joss Whedon along with his other coworkers that included Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot.
Snyder left Justice League for personal reasons, while Whedon stepped in to help guide the film to finished status. However, due to his alleged treatment of the actors, the film was marred with controversy right from the start. It’s good to see that Fisher and Snyder will be working alongside one another again.
REBEL MOON 2 HAS ALREADY BEEN ANNOUNCED
Filming started in April of 2022, and has gone into November. This long shooting schedule means that the film is going to be broken up into a two-part epic. Everyone knows that the original Star Wars story was turned into a trilogy, so Snyder might also be doing his best to make his sci-fi film a part of the same formula.
Could there be some wise-cracking droids? Zack Snyder has co-written the script alongside co-writer for Army of the Dead, Shay Hatten, and Kurt Johnstad, who co-wrote 300. Snyder will be directing and producing the film alongside his producing partner and wife, Deborah Snyder.
Rebel Moon is currently in pre-production and with a lengthy filming schedule that is set to last eight months, we are likely not going to see the first part of this two-part epic until spring of next year.
Then again, Netflix usually has some quick turnaround, so we might be surprised with the first part at some point later this year. This is all just speculation, but it’s going to be interesting to see this would-be Star Wars film from Zack Snyder.
