The PG-13 cut of Rebel Moon - Part 1: A Child of Fire that's currently streaming on Netflix doesn't exactly shy away from violence, but it's abundantly clear that multiple sequences have been edited to remove the really extreme stuff.
We've known that an R-rated version of the movie is on the way for quite a while, but had no idea when to expect it. Now, director Zack Snyder has finally given us some idea of when it'll be released.
During the DGA Director’s Cut podcast (via The Playlist) with filmmaker Louis Leterrier as the guest moderator, Snyder revealed that the R-rated cut of Rebel Moon is coming this summer. No month or date was mentioned, but at least we now have a rough timeframe.
Snyder also explained what led to him releasing two different versions of the movie in the first place, revealing that Netflix balked at the idea of allowing him to develop his full 200-page script.
“They read the script. Obviously, it was an R-rated script, it was 200 pages the first time [they read it], and they were like, ‘you weren’t kidding!’ when I handed them this phone book of the script,” he recalled. “And they said, ‘200 page script, huh? Obviously, we’re not making a script into a movie, especially not this crazy, R-rated [thing]. You basically made a live-action ‘Heavy Metal’ movie, and everyone’s like naked, this is crazy.’”
In a previous interview, Snyder discussed the director's cut and how it'll differ from the PG-13 version.
"Way more brutal. More bizarre. Verhoeven-esque. More RoboCop than you know... in the way that it uses violence as another character. And there's a lot of sex in it, and sci-fi fantasy."
Can we maybe expect a little more character development, too? Let's hope so.
Snyder recently took to Vero to share a new image from his director's cut, and it looks like we're going to be spending more time with Jimmy the Robot.
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 heroes of Rebel Moon are: Kora (Sofia Boutella), an Imperium deserter who leaves the peaceful Veldt to fight back; Kai (Charlie Hunnam), a mercenary pilot whose Tawau-Class freighter will prove invaluable to Kora’s quest; Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), a Veldt farmer who knows little of the galaxy outside of his small, quiet corner of the galaxy; General Titus (Djimon Hounsou), a hardened gladiator who once served the Imperium; Tarak (Staz Nair), a noble indentured servant who shares a bond with a flying creature called a Bennu; Nemesis (Doona Bae), a cyborg sword master whose mechanical hands allow her to wield molten-metal weapons; Darrian Bloodaxe (Ray Fisher), an insurgent who has been harrying the Imperium with guerilla attacks; and Milius (E. Duffy), a refugee who seeks justice for their home — a colony that has already fallen to the Mother World.
Rebel Moon: A Child of Fire hits Netflix on December 21. The sequel, Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver, will debut on April 19, 2024.