Justice League director Zack Snyder has ambitious plans for his Rebel Moon Universe, hence why a movie that was once pitched to Lucasfilm as a Star Wars project is now arriving on Netflix in two parts (with podcasts, an animated spin-off, and video game all also planned).
The first, Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire premieres next month and the second, Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver, is following in April 2024.
Thanks to Empire Online (via SFFGazette.com), we have a first look at the sequel. The still doesn't reveal a huge amount, but it does offer a taste of the clash between the evil Imperium and the warriors who have assembled to defend the vulnerable moon of Veldt. The sci-fi franchise's lead, Sofia Boutella's Kora, is put front and centre.
"We had the titles for a long time," Snyder tells the site. "A Child Of Fire has a double meaning. The Child Of Fire could be Princess Issa, this myth that runs through the stories. The robots that we refer to as Jimmy, the Anthony Hopkins character, were created to protect the unborn Issa and lost all their purpose when she was assassinated."
"Kora is also a child of fire: she was a war orphan," he continues. "Her home was burned down and she was snatched up and brought into the army."
Snyder would go on to explain, "[Kora’s] nickname is the Scargiver, which is also related to her relationship with Princess Issa. Those two myths are braided together in a pretty cool way, I think."
"The second movie is really a war movie. At the beginning they harvest the crops, and we have a bunch of stuff in the village, sort of the ‘Why We Fight’ aspect of the movie. We have time for relationships. Then the next thing is the big battle. It’s really fun."
Take a closer look at this Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver sneak peek below.
From Zack Snyder, the filmmaker behind 300, Man of Steel, and Army of the Dead, comes Rebel Moon, an epic science-fantasy event decades in the making. When a peaceful colony on the edge of a galaxy finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious stranger living among the villagers, becomes their best hope for survival. Tasked with finding trained fighters who will unite with her in making an impossible stand against the Mother World, Kora assembles a small band of warriors — outsiders, insurgents, peasants and orphans of war from different worlds who share a common need for redemption and revenge. As the shadow of an entire Realm bears down on the unlikeliest of moons, a battle over the fate of a galaxy is waged, and in the process, a new army of heroes is formed.
The movie's cast, many of whom are spotlighted on the character posters below, includes Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Doona Bae, Ray Fisher, with Charlie Hunnam, and Anthony Hopkins as the voice of "Jimmy."
Other cast members include Staz Nair, Fra Fee, Cleopatra Coleman, Stuart Martin, Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Alfonso Herrera, Cary Elwes, Rhian Rees, E. Duffy, Jena Malone, Sky Yang, Charlotte Maggi, and Corey Stoll.
Snyder directs from a script he wrote with Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten. Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire arrives on Netflix on December 22, 2023. Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiving follows on April 19, 2024.