At long last, Zack Snyder’s space opera Rebel Moon is finally on the horizon. The latest high-profile project from the director who has given audiences one of the best horror remakes, been part of a wild fan movement regarding his version of Justice League, and kickstarted the Army of the Dead franchise will soon be available for anyone with a Netflix subscription, and we have all the details.
Below is a breakdown of everything we know about the 2023 new movie that sounds like an epic in the vein of Star Wars and Akira Kurosawa’s classic samurai films, including its release date, cast, trailer, story, and so much more.
What Is The Rebel Moon Release Date?
There isn’t really that much time to wait until we finally get to see Rebel Moon, as the first half of Zack Snyder’s two-part epic – Part 1: A Child of Fire – will be released December 22, 2023 on Netflix. The streamer has also announced that Part 2: The Scargiver will be released a few months later on April 19, 2024.
The split release of the space opera didn’t come as a big surprise, as Netflix executive Ori Marmur told Variety in a January 2023 interview that he knew it would be better served as two pieces opposed to a single film after seeing just how big of a world Snyder created. Prior to that, The Hollywood Reporter reported in January 2022 that the project was going to be an ambitious two-part movie.
The Rebel Moon Cast Includes Ray Fisher, Djimon Hounsou, And Sofia Boutella
Zack Snyder is no stranger when it comes to making movies with enormous ensemble casts that give just about everyone time to shine (even if the movies are four hours long, like Zack Snyder’s Justice League), and it looks like his next project won’t be any different. Ever since the ambitious Netflix sci-fi epic was announced in 2021, there has been a seemingly never-ending stream of additions to the Rebel Moon cast, which is led by Sofia Boutella, who will be taking on the role of a warrior named Kora, a former member of the Imperium who rises up to take on her former comrades. Djimon Hounsou will take on the role of the mysterious General Titus, one of Kora’s main allies, while Ray Fisher is set to play a resistance fighter by the name of Blood Axe, and Ed Skrein will be showing up as the villainous Regent Balisasrius.
But that is just the beginning of the characters we’ll meet in Rebel Moon, as Charlie Hunnam, Jena Malone, Corey Stoll, Doona Bae, Staz Nair, Cary Elwes, and several other stars are set to appear, including Anthony Hopkins, who will be providing the voice of a sentient battle robot JC1435, or Jimmy.
The Rebel Moon Trailer Teases Epic Action For A New Intergalactic Saga
After years of anticipation, and a few months after we first saw glimpses of what was to come, Netflix finally released the Rebel Moon trailer in August 2023, and it did not disappoint. The nearly four-minute teaser trailer was a dizzying affair, offering up brief introductions and backstories for several of the characters, locations, and central conflicts of Zack Snyder’s long-in-the-works project, so much so that you may want to watch it a couple of times to take it all in.
Though the trailer doesn’t really offer up much in terms of story and how the movie will be split into two parts (Sofia Boutella’s character looked like she was in two different points on the film’s timeline), it does feature Snyder’s signature visual style, as well as some interesting looking creatures in the film’s expansive universe.
Rebel Moon Centers On A Small Colony That Turns To A Mysterious Woman To Defeat A Tyrannical Leader
Netflix has announced that Rebel Moon will center on a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy that is threatened by armies sent by a tyrannical leader. In an attempt to save their lives and prevent the destruction of their people, the colonists turn to a woman with a mysterious past to assemble a small band of outlaws and misfits looking for a fight and a shot at redemption.
When speaking with THR at the time of the big Rebel Moon reveal in July 2021, Zack Snyder said the movie was him “growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan,” and that he hopes this “becomes a massive IP” that can be “built out.”
Rebel Moon Originally Started Out As An Idea For A Star Wars Movie
If Rebel Moon sounds a lot like a Zack Snyder’s version of a Star Wars movie, it’s because the Army of the Dead director initially pitched the idea as an original story set in the galaxy far, far away. In a July 2023 interview with Empire, the filmmaker opened up about his early concepts for the upcoming Netflix movie and how it would have fit into the universe created by George Lucas:
It was Seven Samurai in space. And a Star Wars movie was my original concept for it. … The sale [of Lucasfilm to Disney] had just happened. There was that window where, you know, who knows what’s possible? I was like, ‘I don’t want any of your characters. I don’t want to do anything with any known characters, I just want to do my own thing on the side.’ And originally I was like, ‘It should be rated R!’ That was almost a non-starter.
Snyder would go on to admit that “it was a big ask, to be honest,” when talking about the idea of making a harder-edged movie in the traditionally family-friendly Star Wars galaxy, and so he just started to develop it as his own project set in a universe of his own creation.
Zack Snyer Has Plans To Further Expand The Rebel Moon Universe
Similar to Star Wars with its various movies, TV shows, and practically every other medium, Zack Snyder has big plans for Rebel Moon once the two-part movie is released starting later this year. When speaking with Empire in July 2023, the writer, director, and producer explained how the idea of expansion was always on the table when discussing the project with Netflix, saying:
When I pitched it to Netflix, the scale was a thing they wanted. They were like, ‘Well, how big could it be? How many movies?’ That made me go, ‘Okay, if we really do this, we can sink our teeth pretty deep into this. We can’t really hit the bottom.’
Though everything is still in the planning process outside of the first movie, there is a possibility of a TV series. In the same Empire interview, it was stated that the possible series would further explore the history of Balisarius, the saga’s overreaching antagonist. There is also a plan for a third film where audiences will get to see the actual “Rebel Moon,” which is a planet Snyder has named Vanna, which doesn’t even show up in the first two installments.
Zack Snyder Co-Wrote Rebel Moon With 300 And Army Of The Dead Scribes
Zack Snyder wasn’t alone when coming up with the story and writing the script for Rebel Moon, as the visionary filmmaker called on two of his biggest writing partners to bring the upcoming Netflix movie to life.
In July 2021, Deadline reported Snyder co-wrote the story that will be told over the course of two movies (and possibly more) with Kurt Johnstad. The two previously worked together on 300, 2007's visually-stunning adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel of the same name. Johnstad’s other writing credits include 300: Rise of an Empire, Act of Valor, and Atomic Blonde.
In addition to sharing screenwriting credit with Johnstad, Snyder also worked with the accomplished Shay Hatten on Rebel Moon, who served as a co-writer on Army of the Dead.
While we wait for the long-awaited arrival of Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon, now’s the perfect time to take a look at the other 2023 Netflix movies that will call the streaming service home before the end of the year.
