Summary
Even as Zack Snyder’sRebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Firenears its highly anticipated premiere, the renowned filmmaker and his collaborators are making it known that the scope of their vision goes way beyond the upcomingNetflix film and its confirmed sequel.
Netflix’sRebel Moonis arguably Snyder’s most ambitious project yet, taking on the same epic space opera label as theStar Warsfranchise that inspired it. Initially intended to be set within theStar Warsuniverse, Synder would be unable to agree with the franchise custodians before Disney bought out the IP and effectively killed any chance of his grittier, darkerStar Warsstory ever coming to fruition. Unperturbed, Synder would unlatch his vision fromStar Warsand develop it as a standalone idea, eventually coming to an agreement andteaming with Netflix to bringRebel Moonto life.
As Snyder’s first installment in the story of an ex-army official leading a moon in rebellion against a tyrannical homeworld is nearing its release, some remark thatRebel Moonlooks like too much and not enoughsimultaneously. However, the director wanted it on record thatA Child of Firewas only the tip of the iceberg as far as his new franchise was concerned. In an interview forTotalFilm, Snyder clarified thatRebel Moonwent above and beyond what fans might have expected, remarking with a chuckle.
I’m the gatekeeper for what’s possible. I’m the only one who knows where the whole story is going, and I do have it mapped all the way. We’re doing a narrative podcast, and an animated comic book, and an animated series. They all take place before the events of the movie. So you can start to understand the vastness of the mythology that we’ve been working on.
Snyder’s comments cover new ground, not bothering to add intheRebel Moonco-op game that Snyder already announcedearlier. His co-writer Kurt Johnstad was also on hand to help drive home the point, giving fans a big-picture description of just how massive the effort poured into the worldbuilding had been. “The world is very, very detailed and fleshed out,” Johnstad says. “There’s hundreds and hundreds of pages of documents of methodology and mythology and lore. The timeline goes back 800 years, from our movies.”
It’s clear that more so than the modern iteration of the franchise,Rebel Moontakes its inspiration from the now relegatedStar WarsLegends continuitythat the new canon has borrowed from. It makes sense that the Legends continuity would be the basis for the project in tone and scope, as Snyder’s idea pre-dates the Disney acquisition that led to the new canon being established. When viewed in that light, it’s much easier to understand Snyder’s initial pitch and the subsequent construction of deep lore around that original idea once it was cut loose from the wider mythology ofStar Wars.
There’s a good chance that some more dedicated fans will see a glimpse of the wider scope ofRebel Moonright from the beginning, as Snyder already justified adirector’s cut ofRebel Moon:A Child of Fireand its sequel film well ahead of their release dates, showing that he can’t help but let more of the lore sep into the films despite the constraints of a theatrical release. Fans must wait and see how impactful the extra content in these expanded releases is.
Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fireis set for a limited theatrical release on June 18, 2025
Rebel Moon
When the armies of a tyrannical leader threaten a peaceful settlement on a distant moon, a mysterious villager emerges as their best hope for survival.
