Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon has been in the works since 1977
No heroes here, just rebels for Zack Snyder who has been developing the IP since he was 11-years old.
It’s always an exciting time whenever a new Zack Snyder movie is releasing. Say what you will about him, but the dude can direct visually stunning films. I’ve always been a fan of his filmography ever since I saw Henry Cavill fly into the sun and Gerard Butler shouting around with rock-hard abs. After a long and troubled stint with the DC franchise, Snyder finally gets to flex his creative wings with his own IP, Rebel Moon. The first film, titled Rebel Moon Part One – A Child of Fire, will release on Netflix on December 22, 2023 and it is shaping itself up to be an ongoing franchise. Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon has been a long time coming, long before he even got to call himself a director.
In a press conference that included Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Sofia Boutella, Ed Skrein, and Doona Bae, the cast and crew talked about what it was like to make Rebel Moon come into fruition. From the innocent imaginations of a child and developing those into one of the more interesting franchise IPs we see today.
“As a germ of an idea, this thing has existed since 1977. The 11-year-old me saw Star Wars and you know what? I could do that,” Snyder says.
As a proud nerd himself, Snyder fondly recalls his formative years of 1977-1987 where he saw a lot of films that would greatly influence the way he goes about his works. Star Wars started his love for cinema and since then, has been an avid admirer of the industry. His main motivation to go out and see a lot of movies that people thought were initially weird was that “It’s gonna be awesome.”
Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood, Seven Samurai, John Boorman’s Excalibur, John Milius’ Conan the Barbarian were some of the all-time classics that Snyder takes huge inspiration from.
But it doesn’t stop with just movies. Snyder amusingly said that he was also heavily influenced by an adult illustrated fantasy magazine, Heavy Metal. His mother accidentally got him a subscription because it looked like a comic book. Little did she know that the contents would only be meant for a more mature audience. Zack Snyder, a child at the time, was loving every bit of it. “I was too young. I won’t say how old, but it was full of violence, sex, and craziness and I thought that it was the greatest thing ever.”
*Press Conference photos courtesy of Netflix
Everyone knows how imaginative Snyder can be when it comes to his films. He’s a director who isn’t satisfied with telling a story in the most straightforward way possible. The treasure trove of past works that have helped shape his cinematic perspective are as diverse and colorful as one can imagine. And of course, he doesn’t shy away from mentioning anime as a major reference point for action sequences.
Rebel Moon Part One – A Child of Fire is but a glimpse of what Snyder has been cooking up in his head for decades. A culmination of all the things he’s a fan of and the work he’s done in the industry, the Rebel Moon franchise is one to look out for. It all begins on December 22, 2023, exclusively streaming on Netflix.