Rebel Moon: Netflix exec comments on Zack Snyder’s two-film sci-fi epic

Before filming on Zack Snyder’s sci-fi epic Rebel Moon had even wrapped, the Netflix streaming service had already secured a tax credit for the follow-up Rebel Moon: Part 2. It was recently announced that the first installment in this two-film epic will be released on December 22nd – and during a recent interview with Variety, a Netflix executive discussed having the confidence to let Snyder dive into making Rebel Moon: Part 2 long before anyone has a chance to see the first movie.

Ori Marmur, who runs Netflix’s original studio film group with Kira Goldberg, said that Netflix believes in Rebel Moon because “Zack came in with so much passion. This is a film that he’s had in mind for decades. As you know, he’s spent so much time working on other people’s IP at other studios. We worked with him on Army of the Dead and we did things that others couldn’t do. We made a film and then a prequel and launched a live experience. With Rebel Moon he wanted to push the envelope again. When we saw how big the world he created was, we thought it would be better served as two pieces versus one film. It’s the kind of story that can continue to grow. He thinks of it as his take on making something like Star Wars.“

Snyder has always been open about the fact that he’s hoping “a massive IP and a universe that can be built out” from the foundation of Rebel Moon. He crafted the story for Rebel Moon with 300 co-writer Kurt Johnstad, and the pair wrote the screenplay with Army of the Dead co-writer Shay Hatten. The events of the film are set in motion when a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy is threatened by the armies of a tyrannical regent named Balisarius. Desperate, the colonists dispatch a young woman with a mysterious past to seek out warriors from neighboring planets to help them make a stand.

Just like Battle Beyond the Stars, it’s basically Seven Samurai / The Magnificent Seven in space. Snyder said he was inspired to make Rebel Moon because he grew up “as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan. It’s my love of sci-fi and a giant adventure. My hope is that this also becomes a massive IP and a universe that can be built out.” The project actually started out as a Star Wars pitch that Snyder put together years ago. When the idea didn’t gain traction as a Star Wars movie, Snyder and producer Eric Newman considered developing it into a TV series before setting it up as a feature at Netflix.

Snyder, his wife Deborah Snyder, and Wesley Coller are producing Rebel Moon through their company Stone Quarry. Newman is producing via his banner, Grand Electric, while Grand Electric’s Sarah Bowen executive produces.

Rebel Moon stars Sofia Boutella (The Mummy), Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy), Djimon Hounsou (A Quiet Place Part II), Ray Fisher (Justice League), Doona Bae (The Host), Jena Malone (Sucker Punch), Staz Nair (Supergirl), E. Duffy (whose previous credits are all short films), Charlotte Maggi (MaveriX), Sky Yang (Tomb Raider), Michiel Huisman (Game of Thrones), Alfonso Herrera (Ozark), Cary Elwes (Saw), Corey Stoll (Ant-Man), Ed Skrein (Deadpool), and Stuart Martin (Army of Thieves).

Are you looking forward to Rebel Moon and Rebel Moon: Part 2? Share your thoughts on this two-film epic project by leaving a comment below.