Rebel Moon, a Netflix original film from Zack Snyder, is building up to be something extraordinary. In a recent interview with ScreenRant to promote his upcoming Painkiller miniseries for the streaming service, Rebel Moon producer Eric Newman stated that he was blown away by his visit to the set of Snyder's upcoming sci-fi action thriller.
"Zack Snyder and I made our first movie together many years ago, Dawn of the Dead, which is still one of the highlights of my career experience," said Newman. "And we've stayed friend. We had been talking for a long time about doing and there was a moment where he was hoping it'd be part of the Star Wars universe, but to do sort of a Magnificent Seven in space type story."
"Zack had just finished Army of the Dead at Netflix, and I'm based at Netflix, and it just sort of made sense that [we] would do this together. It's been so fun. It's a massive movie. I would sometimes drive on to set and I would look out in the distance and think like, "Could that possibly be part of our show?" And it always was. It's the biggest thing I've ever done, and it's really cool. I'm excited for people to see it. I think you'll love it!"
In addition to directing Rebel Moon, Zack Snyder also co-wrote the screenplay with Kurt Johnstad (300, Atomic Blonde) and Shay Hatten (John Wick: Chapter 4).
The cast includes Sofia Boutella (Star Trek Darkness, Kingsman: The Secret Service) as Kora- the primary protagonist of the film, and an Imperium deserter who flees to a remote planet to escape its grasp. When the Imperium visits as a prelude to a full-scale conquest, she urges its citizens to rise up and resist.
Fra Fee (Hawkeye) portrays Regent Balisarius- the film's primary antagonist and leader of the Imperium.
Also starring in the film are Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword), Michiel Huisman (World War Z, Game of Thrones), Djimon Hounsou (Shazam), Doona Bae (Jupiter Ascending, Cloud Atlas), Ray Fisher (Justice League), Cleopatra Coleman (The Last Man on Earth, Cobweb), Jena Malone (Sucker Punch, Neon Demon), Ed Skrein (Deadpool, Alita: Battle Angel), and Anthony Hopkins (Thor: Ragnarok, The Rite).
Rebel Moon started out as a pitch from Zack Snyder to Lucasfilm to make a standalone Jedi epic inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 classic Seven Samurai. When Snyder's Star Wars project was canceled it was reshaped and reshopped to Netflix, who have a first-look deal with the Justice League director.
The film was split into two parts, with the first installment arriving on December 22, 2023. A release date for the second film has not been set. A hard-edge, adult-oriented director's cut will follow the release of each film.
About Rebel Moon: 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.