Snyder’s major motion picture directorial debut was 2004’s zombie apocalypse film Dawn of The Dead. Since then, on top of Justice League, he has directed 300 (2007), Watchmen (2009), Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’hoole (2010), Sucker Punch (2011), Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and Army of the Dead (2021). He has also acted as a writer and producer on several other films, including many DC movies, the 300 sequel, and the Army of the Dead prequel.
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Snyder is due to start production on his next project soon, and it will be in a new genre for the director. The film, entitled Rebel Moon, is said to be a science fiction epic, unlike anything Snyder has directed before. With filming yet to start, details about the movie are limited, but here is what is known so far about the exciting new project.
Snyder will not only be directing Rebel Moon but will be a writer on the movie as well. Writing alongside him are Shay Hatten, who also wrote on Army of the Dead, and Kurt Johnstad, who co-wrote 300. Zack Snyder is also a producer on the project, as he, his wife Deborah, and Wesley Coller will be producing with their company, The Stone Quarry. Eric Newman will also be producing for Grand Electric.
The success of Army of the Dead for Netflix led the streaming service to sign a first look deal with Snyder. This partnership gives Snyder the support and security to develop lots of large-scale properties for Netflix. Rebel Moon will be distributed through the platform, although the release date is yet to be announced. Army of the Dead also got a limited theatrical release, but it is still unknown whether that will be the case for Rebel Moon as well.
Netflix has released a logline for Rebel Moon, with a basic outline of the film’s concept; “When a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy finds itself threatened by the armies of the tyrannical Regent Balisarius, they dispatch a young woman with a mysterious past to seek out warriors from neighboring planets to help them take a stand.” Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter about Rebel Moon, Snyder said, “This is me growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan. 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. I’ve spent the last two or three years building out this universe. Every corner has to be painted in. I’ve been doing designs, constantly drawing and really cultivating its fertile ground to make this world fully realized.”
The script is re-worked from a script that Snyder had originally written as a pitch for a new Star Wars film, and so naturally takes some inspiration from the series. Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker, widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers in cinema. He favored a bold and dynamic style and created some of the most acclaimed samurai films of all time. Snyder referencing both Star Wars and Kurosawa films speaks to the scale he is envisioning–epic tales of heroics, galaxy-level consequences, and big action sequences. Snyder emphasizes this scale in an interview with Post-Credit Podcast, saying, “The beginning of Man of Steel has pretty big science fiction elements in it, right? Krypton. That’s kind of what we’re doing in Rebel Moon, but on the biggest steroids that I can give it. Frankly, what I’m really interested [in] with this movie is creating a romantic sci-fi film on a scale that is frankly as big as you can make the movie.”
The first concept art shared for Rebel Moon definitely reflects its stated influences. On December 29 2021, Snyder shared a picture of some concept art with a caption reading, “Rebel Moon concept art…we are in full swing heading towards principal photography in a few months.” The art features several black humanoid figures with red luminescence coming through their armor/body. They are carrying weapons and walking through a smoky black landscape alongside tall stones or panels with inscriptions on them. These figures could possibly be the armies of the Regent, as described in the movie’s logline.
Although production is only a few months away according to Snyder, there has only been one casting announcement so far. The lead character of Rebel Moon will be played by actress Sofia Boutella. Boutella has appeared in science fiction projects before, playing roles in Star Trek: Beyond and 2021’s Settlers. She is also well-known for her roles in Kingsman: The Secret Service, Atomic Blonde, and 2017’s The Mummy. Boutella certainly has the experience and ability to carry a film like Rebel Moon.
With principal photography rapidly approaching, there is no doubt that fans will receive more news about what cast members will be joining Boutella sometime soon. There is also bound to be more concept art and set pictures shared in the coming months. Snyder fans have a lot to be excited about when it comes to Rebel Moon.
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