When we first heard about Zack Snyder's plans for his Seven Samurai-inspired sci-fi adventure, Rebel Moon, it sounded a lot like a Star Wars project, and the Justice League director has now confirmed that he did originally envision his story playing out in the Galaxy Far, Far Away.
Snyder tells Empire Magazine that he pitched Lucasfilm on the idea shortly after the Disney acquisition in 2012, but they were hesitant to move forward because the filmmaker didn't want to use any previously established characters, and felt that his film should be R-rated.
“The sale [of Lucasfilm to Disney] had just happened,” Snyder explained. “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.”
“I knew it was a big ask, to be honest,” he added. “But the deeper I got into it, I realized it was probably never going to be what I wanted.”
Snyder has expansive plans for Rebel Moon which extend way beyond two movies, and reportedly turned in a 450-page "bible", detailing various lore and backstories relating to the evil Imperium and beyond.
Rebel Moon will debut on Netflix in two family-friendly parts (the first of which releases this December), before being made available in R-rated form at a later date.
You'll find a first look at Ray Fisher's character, Darrian Bloodaxe, and an updated synopsis 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.