In January, Netflix VP and producer Ori Marmur revealed that Zack Snyder’s film Rebel Moon will no longer be one, but two movies given the vastness of the world and Snyder’s passion for it. Now, news has come to light that there are also plans for extended cuts of both films.
Andy Koyama, a re-recording mixer on John Wick 4, made the revelation during a recent interview with SlashFilm. Koyama, who also happens to be a member of the sound team on Rebel Moon, stated:
We just did the first temp mix for the preview of part one, and it’s very exciting. It’s a big, huge, space — they probably don’t want me to say this — ‘Star Wars’-y, ‘rebels against the evil empire’ thing over all sorts of different worlds. It’s really fun. 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.
Zack Snyder and Netflix have kept plot details of Rebel Moon under wraps. What we do know so far is it’s set in a fictional world where the armies of a tyrannical regent named Balisarius threaten a peaceful colony located at the galaxy’s edge. In response, the colony’s residents send a young woman with a mysterious past on a quest to assemble formidable warriors from planets in their vicinity to help them make a stand.
Rebel Moon is inspired by the works of Japanese auteur Akira Kurosawa and was originally conceived as a Star Wars film albeit with a more mature take on the universe than usual. However, the project was redeveloped as an original film after Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012.
Snyder has expressed his hopes for the project to become “a massive IP and a universe that can be built out.” Given the fact that there are already two films on the way, all the signs point to him getting his wish.
Both Rebel Moon films were shot back to back. Although the streamer has plans for a limited theatrical release, there is currently no information on that front. Nonetheless, the first installment is slated for release on Netflix on December 22.
In the meantime, SnyderVerse fans can look forward to watching some of his older DCEU works in late April.
