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Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon is a two-part epic, with the first chapter Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire quickly becoming one of Netflix’s most anticipated 2023 releases. Rebel Moon is Snyder’s second major film with Netflix, following his 2021 zombie heist movie Army of the Dead. Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire hits Netflix in December. In Zack Snyder’s new epic space opera — which has already created a flurry of online conversation from the Rebel Moon trailer and pre-release images — a peaceful farming colony in a distant corner of the galaxy comes under attack by the forces of the ruthless warlord and antagonist of Rebel Moon Regent Balisarius.
In Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire, it is up to a young woman named Kora to recruit warriors from neighboring planets to defend against the attack. Rebel Moon promises a fresh and deep sci-fi epic on a similar scale to Dune or Star Wars — and the similarities to the latter aren’t coincidental. Since leaving the DCU, Snyder has built his new empire on Netflix with the zombie horror Army of the Dead and prequel Army of Thieves. The director is continuing his work with Netflix in the blockbuster-scope sci-fi Rebel Moon, based on a story Snyder has been steadily crafting for decades. News on the Rebel Moon cast, trailer, and plot synopsis has started to arrive ahead of the 2023 release date for Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire, and the anticipation for the new Zack Snyder sci-fi movie is palpable.
The Latest Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child Of Fire News
Recent Rebel Moon news finally sees the release of the full trailer for Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child Of Fire. Netflix dropped the first official trailer for Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon on August 22, 2023 as part of Gamescom, and it included nearly four minutes of footage for the sci-fi epic. Netflix often only releases one trailer for its movies, so it is possible that this will be the only extended look at Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child Of Fire before its December 2023 release.
However, the trailer for Rebel Moon: Part One comes much earlier than most Netflix releases, suggesting the streamer may have a larger-than-usual marketing campaign in mind for their latest collaboration with Zack Snyder. The trailer also confirmed the two-part release with new titles announced. Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire arriving on December 22, 2023 followed by Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver on April 19, 2024.
Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child Of Fire Release Date
The new Zack Snyder movie is set to hit Netflix in the holiday season, and the Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child Of Fire release date is December 22, 2023. While several Netflix releases have been delayed recently due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, both chapters of Rebel Moon are sticking to their release dates. Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child Of Fire, the first half of Zack Snyder’s epic space opera, will be followed by Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver on April 19, 2024.
Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child Of Fire Cast
The Rebel Moon cast includes, among others, Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Ray Fisher, Djimon Hounsou, Jena Malone, Corey Stoll, Ed Skrein, Doona Bae, and Cary Elwes. While most of the characters in Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child Of Fire are still unidentified, a number of major characters have been revealed. Sofia Boutella portrays Rebel Moon‘s heroine Kora, while Ray Fisher takes on the role of Blood Axe. Djimon Hounsou portrays General Titus, who commands the armies of Balisarius, played by Ed Skrein (replacing Rupert Friend, who left due to scheduling issues).
Cary Elwes is a Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child Of Fire cast member whose unknown role has garnered particular intrigue. While Cary Elwes’ role has yet to be revealed, he seems very excited about the new Zack Snyder movie with some Rebel Moon updates of his own. In a recent interview with Screen Rant, Elwes said that the movie will be epic on a scale that Snyder knows how to pull off. Elwes said, “I can’t tell you much, honestly, other than that it’s an epic film. I think that fans will just be so excited when they get a chance to see it. It’s a huge, huge movie, and Zack, as you know, knows how to do epic.“
Additionally, in Rebel Moon, Anthony Hopkins voices a robot named Jimmy, who had previously been the bodyguard of a vanquished king. It is Jimmy narrating the Rebel Moon: Part One trailer, suggesting he’ll have a significant role in the plot. Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson also appears in Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child Of Fire as Hagen. Other characters known to appear in Rebel Moon include a villainous female human-spider hybrid character named Harmada, played by Jena Malone, along with a vast ensemble cast of actors whose character’s significant likely won’t become apparent until after the Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child Of Fire release date has arrived.
Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child Of Fire Story Details
With the Rebel Moon story taking place in a distant galaxy, this could indicate that the two-word title reveals quite a bit about the film’s story. With Balisarius positioned as a tyrannical regent intent on conquering the peaceful colony, this could lead Kora and the warriors she recruits to her cause to set up a base to plot their strategy against the forces of Balisarius. Snyder’s concept art for Rebel Moon and the bits of footage released by Netflix indicate the film will tell a very interplanetary story.
The world occupied by Kora and her allies could represent the final stronghold in the galaxy against the war waged by Balisarius from planet to planet. In any case, the intergalactic scale of Rebel Moon is sure to be an extremely vast one. Snyder puts it best himself, explaining, “They land in the village to say, ‘Listen, you guys will be our local food source while we’re tromping around this part of the galaxy. So how long till the harvest comes in?’ The villagers are pretty much stunned by the brutality, but they don’t realize what level the Mother World’s ready to go to” (via Vanity Fair).
Why Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon Feels So Much Like Star Wars
Snyder initially conceived of the movie as a standalone Star Wars movie, but his pitch didn’t get off the ground. Snyder modified Rebel Moon‘s story to make it into its own sci-fi universe, and this creates a curious parallel between Snyder and George Lucas through Rebel Moon. Snyder also cites Akira Kurosawa and specifically Seven Samurai as a major influence on Rebel Moon. With Kurosawa having also been an influence on Lucas’s creation of Star Wars, Rebel Moon is a kindred spirit in both genre and creation, though Snyder’s distinct style as a filmmaker has already ensured Rebel Moon stands apart from Star Wars.
A batch of pre-released Rebel Moon plot details and new images gave a detailed early look at the world Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child Of Fire, and while there are obvious parallels, it’s also incredibly clear that Zack Snyder’s Netflix sci-fi has its own distinct identity. Speaking to Vanity Fair Zack Snyder elaborated on the entire history of Rebel Moon, from when he first came up with the idea over three decades ago to how he shot it differently from other space operas. Snyder explained, “This movie was me going, ‘Of course, it’s a space opera, but let’s not lens it that way…’ We’re not always saying, ‘Look at how big our spaceships are or how weird our planets look!’
Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child Of Fire Trailer
The Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child Of Fire trailer has been released and gives the audience a terrific look at the sci-fi epic. The movie opens with narration from Anthony Hopkins’ robot Jimmy giving narration about a legend of a princess who would stop all wars and the fallen kingdom she was a part of. The trailer for the first chapter of Rebel Moon then establishes its antagonists, with the villainous armies of Balisarius seeking out a mysterious woman (Sofia Boutella) who they call “The Scargiver.”
Though the trailer for Rebel Moon: Part One borders on five minutes, it doesn’t delve too deeply into its story, instead showing glimpses of the various characters and the exciting new planets. Filled with aliens and warriors of all different kinds as well as huge action sequences, the trailer sells the grand scale of Rebel Moon effectively.
Rebel Moon: Part Two Has Already Been Confirmed
Some of the latest Rebel Moon news has been around the sequel, Rebel Moon 2. Principal photography on Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire was actually a back-to-back shoot, with Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver already completed as part of the production. With the opening salvo of Rebel Moon already producing two movies right out of the gate, it clearly shows that Rebel Moon: Part One has the potential be Netflix’s biggest 2023 release. It also suggests that Snyder, well-known for the long-running times of his movies, may have made his longest film to date with Rebel Moon. It is also interesting to note that Snyder will have R-rated extended versions of the movie as well. Andy Koyama, the sound mixer for the new Zack Snyder movie said the following (via SlashFilm):
“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.”
Additionally, the back-to-back shoot of Rebel Moon and Rebel Moon 2 could indicate that the first potentially ends on a cliffhanger, or at least an ending that does not fully resolve the story of the first Rebel Moon and sets up Rebel Moon 2. That also means that the world will likely not have to wait too long after the 2023 holiday season release of Rebel Moon for Rebel Moon 2 to follow. Additionally, Snyder’s plans for the Rebel Moon universe do not end there.
What Zack Snyder Has Planned For Rebel Moon’s Franchise Future
Zack Snyder expressed his hope for Rebel Moon to “become a massive IP and universe that can be built out” (via THR). While this further clarifies the decision to shoot Rebel Moon and Rebel Moon 2 back-to-back (and helps Rebel Moon avoid WB’s past Snyderverse mistakes), this could be another area where Snyder’s plans for the franchise mirror the evolution of Star Wars. Following the original Star Wars trilogy, the franchise famously moved into the expanded universe, with Star Wars lore being built upon in comic books, video games, and tie-in novels. Rebel Moon could grow in similar ways, while its main home on Netflix could also expand.
While the Star Wars franchise cinematically primarily consists of the nine movies in the Skywalker Saga, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Solo: A Star Wars Story show the potential for individual and in some cases ancillary characters to headline their own spin-off stories. The same is the case for the various Disney+ Star Wars shows like The Mandalorian and animated series like The Clone Wars, and this could be similar to Snyder’s Star Wars-inspired plans for Rebel Moon.
A story on the rise of Balisarius as an intergalactic conqueror, the origin of Boutella’s Kora, or a completely separate story with new characters in the Rebel Moon universe are all possibilities on the table. Like the universe itself, the possibilities for Rebel Moon‘s expansion are limitless. However, the world will have to wait until 2023’s holiday season to see Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child Of Fire and how it kicks off its vast universe.
Key Release Dates
Rebel Moon
Release Date:2023-12-22
