‘Rebel Moon’: Everything To Know Including The Release Date, Cast, Plot, And More

Update 1/23/23: During a conversation with Variety, Kira Goldberg and Ori Marmur, who run Netflix’s original studio film group, revealed that Rebel Moon will now be two films as Zack Snyder simply had too much content to fit into one movie.

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.”

Original Article 1/18/23: After gaining a cult-like status thanks to his brief tenure crafting the DC Extended Universe, Zack Snyder is getting ready to drop his first attempt at a massive sci-fi epic with Rebel Moon. The director continues to share a warm relationship with Netflix, which is footing the bill for the intergalactic tale that stems from Snyder’s dream of directing a Star Wars movie. In true George Lucas-style, he realized that he doesn’t need permission to make his own sci-fi adventure and quickly went to work crafting his own space-faring tale.

Here’s what we know so far about Rebel Moon:

Rebel Moon will hit Netflix on December 22, 2023. Giving the film a prime holiday release is a definite sign of confidence from Netflix, which also saved Rian Johnson’s smash shit, Glass Onion, for the 2022 holiday season.

As always, Zack Snyder knows how to stack a film with talent. Anchoring the film is Sofia Boutella, who will play a young woman attempting to gather allies to stop the forces of Ed Skrein‘s Regent Balisarius. Charlie Hunnam and Ray Fisher are also along for the ride in unknown roles. (Although, we do know that Hunnam will be dishing out lots of action as he reportedly “destroyed his back” prepping for Rebel Moon.) Djimon Hounsou, Jena Malone, Corey Stoll, Ed Skrein, Anthony Hopkins, and Cary Elwes round out the rest of the cast.

Here’s how Snyder described the plot in a July 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, and since then, he’s kept the details of his sci-epic tightly under wraps:

The story is 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.

However, what we do know is that the film originated from Snyder’s interactions with Lucasfilm that almost led to him directing a Star Wars movie. Instead, he set out to make his own original story.

“This is me growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan,” Snyder told THR. “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.”

There is no official trailer for Rebel Moon as of this writing, but Netflix revealed the first footage from the film in the 2023 sizzle reel below:

— Netflix (@netflix) January 18, 2023

Rebel Moon smashes into Netflix on December 22, 2023.