Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon: What Do We Know?’

H​e can be controversial. Not really for anything he has done, but if you mention the name Zack Snyder, you’re not sure how fans will react. We’ll have to see how they react to Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon. Some hated his take on the DC Universe. Others loved it, and the voices were so loud that Warner Bros. had no choice but to finish and release the SnyderCut finally. Many have applauded his update to the Romero classic Dawn Of The Dead. Purists hate that the zombies run in the film. Comic fans love his adaptation of Watchmen. Fanboys deride the film as something that should never have been made.

N​o matter what, most fans have some sort of opinion of Zack Snyder. Love him or hate him, his films make a lot of money. So, of course, that means that studios love him. After he left the DCEU, no one was sure what he would do next. Instead of jumping back into another franchise, he decided to do more original work. One company that was happy to open the wallet to get him on board was Netflix.

They produced and released his zombie film Army Of The Dead. Netflix was so happy with the results that they gave him an Army Of The Dead Prequel called Army Of Thieves. This followed the safecracker character of Ludwig, played by Matthias Schweighöfer, and showed how he got so good at his skills. Snyder produced it while Matthias Schweighöfer himself directed it. The plan is to have more films and a series set in the same universe as Army Of The Dead.

A​fter doing so well, Netflix asked him what he wanted to do next. They were eager to keep him employed for the streamer as they saw his original projects as a boon for their future. Naturally, Snyder has a lot of ideas for movies, but one, in particular, was of interest. Enter Rebel Moon.

S​ecret Origin Story

W​hile Rebel Moon is an original idea by Zack Snyder, it originally started as an idea for a very famous franchise. In the early 2000s, after the Prequels were finally done, Lucasfilm was looking at other ideas for Star Wars films. They wanted to expand into other parts of the famous series. Snyder pitched an idea that was outside of the Skywalker saga.

H​e would write up a script for the idea hoping to get to helm it if Lucasfilm liked it. While they were waiting for a response, George Lucas made a huge announcement. He was selling Lucasfilm and Star Wars to Disney. Any projects that were in the approval stage were canceled and shelved indefinitely. Snyder was crestfallen but moved on to his Superman projects.

H​e kept the idea for his Star Wars movie in the back of his mind. As the years went by, he figured out a way to remove any Star Wars-related material and keep the central idea. The story didn’t have to be set in the franchise to still make a good story. Which really makes for the best Star Wars films anyway. He had the script ready, and as soon as Netflix asked, he was ready to deliver.

S​tory

S​nyder has said that this idea brings together two of his biggest loves in movies. Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai is his favorite movie. Then, on the other hand, he loved Star Wars growing up. He saw this as a way to bring the two together. This completely fits with how George Lucas had pulled his love of old samurai films into his Star Wars films. The pairing was perfect.

“This is me growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan. It’s my love of sci-fi and a giant adventure. My hope is that this also becomes a massive IP and a universe that can be built out.”

Zack Snyder

I​n the film, a peaceful colony at the edge of the galaxy is constantly threatened by an evil commander named Balisarius. The colonists are tired of the constant threat and send out a young woman with a mysterious past to find warriors from other planets. They hope these fighters will agree to come to their colony and defend them from the invading armies. It’s said that the story will be split up into two films. The first will likely concentrate on the young woman seeking help and collecting her fighters. The second would then focus on them returning to the colony and preparing for the big fight at the end.

C​ast

S​nyder was able to grab a great cast for the films. Sofia Boutella will be playing the mysterious woman Kora, who is tasked with finding the warriors to fight for the colony. She has previously been in fun action films like Kingsman: The Secret Service, Hotel Artemis, and the Tom Cruise-led The Mummy.

I​t’s not known what their roles will be, but the film boasts Charlie Hunnam, Cary Elwes, and Jena Malone in other roles. That alone makes this a great cast, but Sir Anthony Hopkins will also lend his voice talents. He’ll be playing a battle robot named Jimmy. The sentient robot was once the defender of the slain King of the land but now has been on his own.

R​upert Friend was supposed to be in the film as Balisarius. He would be the main antagonist in the film, akin to Darth Vader in the Star Wars films. Unfortunately, he was forced to drop out when his schedule filled up. Stepping into his place is Ed Skrein. Many will probably remember him as Francais from the first Deadpool movie. It should be interesting to see how he embodies the overlord.

O​ne notable actor cast is Ray Fisher. His character name is Blood Axe, which seems to indicate he will be one of the warriors Kora seeks out. Fisher previously worked with Snyder on the original version of Justice League. Famously he didn’t have great things to say about Joss Whedon after Snyder had to step away from the production due to a family tragedy. His speaking up pushed the SnyerCut fanfare even further and made others finally speak up about Whedon’s personality on other sets he had been in charge of.

R​elease

N​etflix has been mum about when the film will be released, but that is their usual release method. They usually put out a trailer, then indicate the release will be on their platform within the next month. We may not get much notification it’s being released until right beforehand. Filming for the film started on April 19, 2022, and lasted 125 days.

S​nyder has released an image of the film in post-production on his social media account on Vero. The picture seems to indicate that while they did shoot on actual sets, the film will be enhanced with CGI to fill up the frame more. The film should be interesting when it’s finally completed. Will Zack Snyder finally earn the respect from fans for this sci-fi epic? Only time will tell.

Are you excited for Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon? Let us know what you think in the comments.