Zack Snyder, the director behind movies like Watchmen, Man of Steel, and Army of the Dead, has gained widespread attention for his upcoming film, Rebel Moon. The movie is being hailed as Snyder's take on the beloved Star Wars franchise, and it has become one of the most anticipated films of the year. Rebel Moon is set in a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy, which is suddenly threatened by the armies of the tyrannical Regent named Balisariu. The colony dispatches a young woman named Kora on a mission to find warriors from other planets who can help them in their fight against the Regent's forces.
Andy Koyama, the sound mixer for Zack Snyder's upcoming Netflix sci-fi film, recently spoke with SlashFilm and revealed that extended R-rated versions are planned for the movie. Koyama shared that he had just finished the first temp mix for the preview of part one and that it was "very exciting." He described the film as a "big, huge, spacey" adventure that features rebels fighting against an evil empire across various worlds.
"We just did the first temp mix for the preview of part one, and it's very exciting. It's a big, huge, space — they probably don't want me to say this — 'Star Wars'-y, 'rebels against the evil empire' thing over all sorts of different worlds. It's really fun. There's going to be two films. I think we're mixing that from June to February. And there's also going to be extended R-rated versions of each of the two films, so we're going to be mixing four different features."
Rebel Moon Producer Says Zack Snyder's Vision is Too Epic for a Single Film
Rebel Moon has been split into two parts due to the sheer scope of the universe that Snyder has created. Netflix producer Ori Marmur recently spoke about the upcoming science fiction film and how it is so expansive and epic that it could not be contained in just one movie. Marmur and the team at Netflix had previously worked with Snyder on the Army of the Dead franchise, where they created a film, prequel and launched a live experience. However, with Rebel Moon, Snyder wanted to push the envelope even further and create a vast universe that could continue to grow beyond just two parts. Marmur stated that they realized how large the world that Snyder created was and thought it would be best served as two pieces versus just one film.
"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."
Sofia Boutella leads the cast of Rebel Moon as Kora, the film's protagonist. Joining her on this epic adventure are several well-known actors, including Charlie Hunnam, Ray Fisher, and Djimon Hounsou. Jena Malone, Corey Stoll, Ed Skrein, and Cleopatra Coleman also feature in the movie. Fra Fee, Cary Elwes, Stuart Martin, Alfonso Herrera, Michiel Huisman, Doona Bae, Staz Nair, Ray Porter, and Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins round out the star-studded cast. Snyder has been a lifelong fan of Star Wars, and the project first started as a Star Wars movie that he pitched to Lucasfilm.
Rebel Moon Part One is set to premiere on Netflix on Dec. 22.