On August 2, Zack Snyder will exclusively release two director's cuts of Rebel Moon on Netflix: Chapter One: Chalice of Blood and Chapter Two: Curse of Forgiveness. Fans can witness Dreadnought’s destructive power firsthand in Rebel Moon—Part One: A Child of Fire, now streaming on Netflix. 

Rebel Moon synopsis and main characters

The star-trotting epic Rebel Moon is about Kora (Sofia Boutella), a lone-wolf soldier who’s found community and connection on the quiet farming moon of Veldt. She’s a long way away from her former life fighting for the Imperium, the brutal interstellar royal empire bent on controlling the galaxy. But when sadistic admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein) arrives in Veldt via a Dreadnought-class battle cruiser and stirs up deadly trouble on the orders of the Imperium's tyrannical regent, Balisarius (Fra Fee), it dredges up Kora's violent past.

With the new director’s cuts, viewers will be able to delve further into the mythology and madness of Snyder’s epic sci-fi saga. The two new cuts feature more creatures, more history, and more action sequences. Zack Snyder promises an experience that is bloodier, sexier, and altogether more epic.

Snyder is known for his lavishly expanded cuts. Watchmen, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League all saw lengthy extended editions in the months following their releases. Rebel Moon will also undergo R-rated expansions, a plan that has been in place since the film's inception.

The first installment of Snyder’s space saga, titled Rebel Moon—Part One: A Child of Fire, is now streaming on Netflix, as is Rebel Moon—Part Two: The Scargiver.

Introduction by Anthony Hopkins

Rebel Moon opens with the familiar voice of Sir Anthony Hopkins, who plays steadfast guardian robot Jimmy. Speaking on the subject, Snyder informed Tudum that, regrettably, robots such as Jimmy are grappling with the harsh realities of life. Built with a specific purpose in mind, the AI machines have left Jimmy disillusioned and without the will to fight. Luckily, the warrior humans around him have enough will for Veldt's entire moon. 

When it becomes clear that Noble’s demands on Veldt spell death for the peaceful colony there, Kora starts off on a quest to recruit freedom fighters to her cause. Along the way, Kora teams up with a scrappy group of warriors, including Veldt farmer Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), mercenary Kai (Charlie Hunnam), ex-Imperium general Titus (Djimon Hounsou), former nobleman Tarak (Staz Nair), cyborg sword-wielder Nemesis (Doona Bae), refugee Milius (Elise Duffy), and the insurgent siblings Darrian (Ray Fisher) and Devra Bloodaxe (Cleopatra Coleman). Knightly robot Jimmy (voiced by Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins) is also waiting in the wings after years out of service.

Snyder added that they are all misfits. They’re all healing and finding a place to belong. It’s a movie about finding a family. In fact, the director, whose previous blockbusters include 300 and Man of Steel, continues by teasing a scene where Kora and her teammates look upon Veldt and agree that the moon is breathtaking that it’s worth dying on—or fighting hard enough to live upon. In a lot of ways, that's really at the heart of the movie: Kora finding a place to call home, something that she wants to protect.

Snyder's imaginative world building

Unlike Snyder’s DC films or his Dawn of the Dead remake, the world of Rebel Moon leapt entirely from his imagination, from the planets to the set design to the very language itself. He is always really into banners, flags, swatches—all the stuff. He ensures that all the lettering is accurate and conveys the intended meaning. The filmmaker is concerned with ensuring that the languages they have created, along with all the alphabets, accurately convey the intended message.

According to Stefan Dechant, one of Rebel Moon's production designers, the filmmakers created several distinct languages for the film, as well as their own alphabets. Across production design, props, costumes, and more, the Rebel Moon crew created currency, musical instruments, religious iconography, and origin stories from scratch. 

Snyder went on to say that the art department didn’t really know him that well. And they realized that everything really needs to have a backstory, make sense, be symbolic, and be weirdly meaningful.

As a result of all that effort, Snyder says that Rebel Moon’s mythology will be on steroids. This tale is an expansive exploration of a new universe. He thinks it’s satisfying for hard-core fans because they’ll be able to take a deep dive into it. 

Snyder's multifaceted role in Rebel Moon

Snyder co-wrote the script with Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten and directed both parts. But that’s not all—the filmmaker, who also helmed the zombie heist Army of the Dead and produced its prequel Army of Thieves, also serves as director of photography on Rebel Moon. For him, it’s harder not to shoot Rebel Moon as the DoP. At least this way, he doesn't have any real downtime, and he stays focused.

Rebel Moon: Part One ends on quite the cliffhanger. If you’ve seen A Child of Fire, dive into their companion guide for Rebel Moon to discover a sprawling universe of additional history and lore—and find the secret inscription on Noble’s Bone Staff, written in New Imperium font.

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