Netflix’s Mysterious ‘Rebel Moon’ Is Now Two Movies Because Zack Snyder Still Can’t Resist Going Long

After revealing the first footage for Rebel Moon earlier this month, Netflix has confirmed that the Zack Snyder space epic will now be split into two films that are being shot back-to-back. The film was born out of a Star Wars pitch that Snyder made to Lucasfilm in 2012, which ultimately never came to be. However, the writer/director kept the story in his back pocket, and over the years, he realized the potential to turn it into a standalone sci-fi series of his own.

After working with Snyder on Army of the Dead, Netflix jumped at the chance to develop Rebel Moon, which has unsurprisingly ballooned into two films because we’re talking about the guy who made a four-hour long Justice League movie. Via Variety:

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.”

At the time of this writing, little is known about Rebel Moon except a broad plot synopsis that definitely has a Star Wars bent to it. A young woman named Kora (Sofia Boutella) is tasked with putting together a band of warriors from nearby planets to mount a stand against Regent Balisarius (Ed Skrein) an invading interplanetary warlord. Charlie Hunnam, Ray Fisher, Djimon Honsou, Anthony Hopkins, Jena Malone, Cory Stoll, and Cary Elwes round out the cast of the sci-fi epic.

Rebel Moon premieres December 22, 2023.