Zack Snyder Releases An Exclusive First Look At 'Rebel Moon' At Netflix's Tudum Festival

TV & Film

Jun 30

At some point between the conclusion of the Prequel Trilogy and the sale to Disney, Zack Snyder pitched Lucasfilm his idea for a more mature Star Wars film. Though the project never came to fruition, Snyder evolved and redeveloped his idea until it became Rebel Moon. The story is about the peaceful agricultural moon Veldt which is threatened by the forces of a tyrannic Empire until a young woman named Kora (played by Sofia Boutella) seeks to rally warriors from across the galaxy. It is heavily inspired by George Lucas's space opera as well as by Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954).

During its global fan event, Tudum 2023, Netflix released a behind-the-scenes sizzle reel for Snyder's latest cooperation with the streaming giant after Army of the Dead (2021). The writer, director, and producer of Rebel Moon describes his latest opus as "a story of a few versus man, impossible odds, and good versus evil.” Charlie Hunnam, who plays Kal, a pilot who is hired by Kora, talks about the physical requirements of the project and the intensive training the actors had to go through. A sentiment that is echoed by Boutella when she talks about the two month preparation period before shooting began.

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And it would not be Zack Snyder if Rebel Moon wasn't a project of epic proportions. The behind-the-scenes footage shows enormous physical sets, giant explosions, and furious fights with heavy guns, axes, swords, and fists. And, as Boutella puts it at the end of the featurette: "It's only the beginning.” Snyder hopes to turn Rebel Moon into a "massive IP and a universe that can be built out."

In April of this year, it was revealed that Rebel Moon will be the first film of a trilogy, with the second installment called Rebel Moon Part 2 shot back to back with the first film. The movie, which will be released on Netflix and in a limited theatrical release on December 22 of this year, will be accompanied by an RPG, an animated short, a graphic novel, and a novelization.

Finally, Snyder is also preparing an R-rated cut in addition to the PG-13 version.