“F–k Star Wars!” Rebel Moon Producers Were Relieved Lucasfilm Rejected Zack Snyder’s Sci-Fi Movie

Rebel Moon producers reveal their candid thoughts regarding Lucasfilm deciding to pass on the project. Directed by Zack Snyder, the upcoming Netflix movie stars Sofia Boutella as Kora, a mysterious warrior who helps the residents of a peaceful farming colony fight back against a tyrannical dictator. Snyder first conceived of the project back in film school and would eventually pitch it to Lucasfilm as a Star Wars movie, where it was ultimately decided that it wouldn’t be a good fit.

As the Rebel Moon release date inches ever closer, producers Deborah Snyder and Eric Newman reveal to SlashFilm that they were incredibly relieved when Lucasfilm rejected Snyder’s pitch, with both feeling that the project would be better suited as an original piece of IP. Check out their comments below:

Deborah Snyder: “Once, it was a Star Wars film, and I never wanted it to be. I remember, I said to Zack, ‘I just feel like your hands are going to be tied so much in what that IP is,’ even though it kind of lived outside of it. So I was kind of happy when that fell apart, because I always felt like it was better.

“We learned so much with all our years working with the superheroes and creating those worlds, and to do something now that’s wholly original — we got to do a little bit of that in the world of zombies, and with Las Vegas, but to do something that is fantastical, we say it’s a science fantasy more than science fiction, and to take all those skills that Zack has been honing, and to do something in this space, just seemed really exciting.”

Eric Newman: “I remember [Zack] calling me at some point, and this has got to be 15 years ago, saying, ‘I’m thinking of doing Seven Jedi, in the Star Wars universe.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, that’s a cool idea.’ […] Then, a few years later, he calls me and goes, ‘You know, I think it could be a television show.’ I’m like, ‘Yes, let’s do this! F*** ‘Star Wars!’ Let’s do this as a TV show.'”

Why Netflix Is Rebel Moon’s Best Home

While the prospect of a Snyder-directed Star Wars movie is certainly enticing, it’s clear that, from the beginning, the filmmaker had big ideas for the story that may not have fit within Lucasfilm’s established universe. Snyder has even spoken about the failed pitch, revealing that he had no interest in using any existing Star Wars characters and wanted instead to “do [his] own thing on the side“.

Considering the creative limitations that would’ve come with working within the Star Wars universe, then, Rebel Moon was always better off as its own distinct piece of IP. Snyder also recently revealed that he pitched Rebel Moon to Warner Bros. multiple times, but they turned it down too. While Warner Bros. would have secured the film a theatrical release, there are several factors that make Netflix the better home for the project.

For one, Snyder had an existing relationship with the streamer due to the successful Army of the Dead. Netflix is also known for giving filmmakers a great deal of creative freedom, which suits a project like Rebel Moon well. Finally, under Netflix, Snyder’s new film is already guaranteed to get a sequel, with its release date only several months after the first film, something that likely wouldn’t have happened at a more traditional studio.