Summary
DespiteRebel Moonnot yet being available for fans to watch, director and scribe Zack Snyder has already informed fans about a director’s cut of the film, which was made in collaboration with Netflix. The director explained the otherwise perplexing choice in a recent interview.
Billed as a space opera in the style ofStar Wars, Rebel Moonstarted as an idea of Zack Snyder’s for a more mature story in theStar Warsuniverse, pitching the idea alongside companion media to Lucasfilm shortly after the Disney acquisition. The project was passed on due to the merger, with Warner Bros also not taking it up before it finally found acceptance as a film at Netflix. The project alsomirrors the making ofStar Warsin one key way, with that franchise also being made after George Lucas failed to secure rights to a then-popular Flash Gordon.
Similarly tohisSnyder Cutof DC’sJustice Leaguefilm that marked his final projectwith the company, Snyder has once again announced a director’s cut for his upcoming filmRebel Moon: Part One - A Child of Fire,as well as a director’s cut forRebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver, despite the first film as of yet not being released. Discussing the choice to release a director’s cut in aNetflixinterview, Snyder explained his reasoning. “The [Rebel Moon] director’s cut is close to an hour of extra content, so I think it’s a legitimate extended universe version. You really get to see a lot. It’s just more painted-in all the way.”
The extended universe is a big part of theRebel Moonplan and includestheRebel Moonco-op game that Snyder announced. Going further, Synder said, “The director’s [cut] is a settle-in deep dive, which I have notoriously done throughout my career. I don’t know how I got into this director’s cut thing, but what I will say about it is that, for me, the director’s cuts have always been something I had to fight for in the past and nobody wanted it. It was this bastard child that I was always trying to put together because they felt like there was a deeper version. And with Netflix, we shot scenes just for the director’s cut. So in that way, it’s really a revelation because it gives that second kick at the can for big fans, like a real discovery that they would not [otherwise] get. I’m really excited about it!”
While it is offputting to think that second-guessing the theatrical release will become a habit, Snyder’s fans will certainly enjoy it. Netflix putting its trust in Snyder to helm this franchise might end up being a home run, as he’s shown that he has a lot of solid ideas and a sense of scale that works best when creating a new IP, and even his controversial time at DC Studios wasn’t all bad, witha former Warner Bros President revealing that the Snyderverse was profitable. Now that he has the full creative license behind a science fiction franchise and no prior expectations or lore to tiptoe around or limit him, Snyder might just be able to properly bring to life all the strong ideas that have attracted so many fans to him.
Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fireis set for a limited theatrical release on June 21, 2025
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