‘Rebel Moon’ Producers Happy Zack Snyder’s Film Not a Star Wars Movie
Producers Deborah Snyder and Eric Newman expressed relief over the film not being billed as an entry in the Star Wars universe.
Zack Snyder originally conceived Rebel Moon as a Seven Samurai-inspired Star Wars movie back when Disney acquired Lucasfilm. He wanted an R-rated script and to create original characters.
In a press event, Deborah Snyder recalled that she was worried when she thought Rebel Moon was going to be tied up to the Star Wars franchise. “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.”
When the plan fell through, she was “kind of happy” because of all the freedom they got.
Over the years, the couple has led the DC studio, working on superhero films and creating the cinematic world. Now, it seemed that they had the chance to “do something now that’s wholly original.”
“We say it’s a science fantasy more than science fiction,” Deborah Snyder continued. “And to take all those skills that Zack has been honing, and to do something in this space, just seemed really exciting.”
According to producer Eric Newman, Zack Snyder’s “Seven Jedi” plan has been through quite a journey. It was first developed into the plan for a television show before landing Rebel Moon on a two-part movie that will be released on Netflix.
The plot follows a young woman, who lives peacefully on the outskirts of the galaxy. She was tasked to find capable warriors to defend against an impending invasion. The cast includes Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Ray Fisher, Doona Bae, Jena Malone, Staz Nair, E. Duffy and Michiel Huisman.
Speaking more on creating an authentic and original “science fantasy,” director Zack Snyder quoted John Boorman’s Excalibur as a huge inspiration. “I love this courtly love concept, that you could have this pure dedication to an ideal that is not necessarily grounded in fact or reality, but that your take on it is so religious, and that your world perspective on that is you come from this sort of hugely moral high ground, but that when you actually dissect the ‘why’ of it, there’s nothing really there, and I think that his story is sort of discovering, in a lot of ways, his own humanity, the 'why' of his existence,” said Zack Snyder.
The filmmaker is known for having “director’s cut” aside from the theatrical release. He said that in the past, it was something he “had to fight for,” like a “bastard child” he was “trying to put together” because they felt like “there was a deeper version.” However, this time is different. Netflix’s plan for Rebel Moon has incorporated the director’s cut from the beginning.
“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,” said the filmmaker.
Snyder announced in June that each of the two parts of Rebel Moon will get two separate cuts. One cut is for everyone to “enjoy and watch,” and the other will be more explicit and adult-oriented. His director’s cuts will include nearly 60 minutes of additional footage, or what he calls “a legitimate extended universe version.”
“So for me, when you make a movie, you have a lot of voices in your own creative mind telling you what would be narratively just the strongest solution. And then you have this other tug on you — I do, anyway — that is like, 'Well, what if there's rabbit holes that are really amazing to go down and just kind of learn about different aspects of the characters?'"
The first part of Rebel Moon, titled A Child of Fire will arrive on Netflix on Dec. 22. The second part, titled The Scargiver, will arrive on April 19, 2024.
Source: SlashFilm
