At Gamescom in Germany, director Zack Snyder took to the stage to reveal the trailer for his two-part sci-fi action saga, Rebel Moon. Snyder filled the teaser with his traditional visual flair and operatic flavor. While on stage, Snyder mentioned that his film drew inspiration from “getting the team together movies” like The Dirty Dozen. Not to mention the look and feel of the science-fantasy magazine Heavy Metal. You can check out the first teaser trailer for Rebel Moon, as well as read the official synopsis, down below.
Rebel Moon Teaser Trailer and Synopsis
From Zack Snyder, the filmmaker behind 300, Man of Steel, and Army of the Dead, comes Rebel Moon, an epic science-fantasy event decades in the making. When a peaceful colony on the edge of a galaxy finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious stranger living among the villagers, becomes their best hope for survival. Tasked with finding trained fighters who will unite with her in making an impossible stand against the Mother World, Kora assembles a small band of warriors — outsiders, insurgents, peasants and orphans of war from different worlds who share a common need for redemption and revenge. As the shadow of an entire Realm bears down on the unlikeliest of moons, a battle over the fate of a galaxy is waged, and in the process, a new army of heroes is formed.
Star Wars‘ Influence Comes Out in the Rebel Moon Trailer
Rebel Moon began its life when Snyder was considering making a Star Wars film a few years ago. Eventually, however, it became its own thing. However, there do appear to be lightsaber-type weapons, showing the Star Wars influence. Earlier in the year, speaking to Vanity Fair, Snyder shared more about at least one character’s lightsaber-esque Rebel Moon weapons, which are actually flaming swords. He noted of Doona Bae’s character Nemesis, “These swords are powered by the gauntlets that she holds. The gauntlets are these ancient [artifacts] from her home world, and part of the rite of passage of being a warrior in her world is you have to cut your arm off, and then you put these kind of robot arms on. That allows you to wield these molten-metal blades.”
We’ll have to see if the blue blades we see swinging around in the Rebel Moon teaser trailer are of the same ilk—they are the ones that really give us Star Wars vibes.
Also, Snyder seems to be a big fan of ’90s rockers Jane’s Addiction. One can hear samples of the iconic band’s song “Three Days” throughout the teaser trailer for Rebel Moon. We like it too. The Rebel Moon teaser trailer is quite substantial, but it truly lets us know this cinematic event will be space opera at its finest. Different realms, different creatures, and a fight for humanity, what more could we ask?
Rebel Moon‘s Director’s Cut
It turns out there is more, though, because, alongside the trailer, Zack Snyder revealed that Rebel Moon will eventually have a director’s cut. Snyder notes of the Rebel Moon director’s cut, “The director’s cut is close to an hour of extra content, so I think it’s a legitimate extended universe version. You really get to see a lot. It’s just more painted-in all the way.” And adds, “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, like a real discovery that they would not [otherwise] get.”
Rebel Moon Cast and Part One and Two Release Dates
Rebel Moon also has an all-star cast, which includes names like Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Doona Bae, and Ray Fisher. It also stars Charlie Hunnam and Anthony Hopkins as the voice of ‘Jimmy.’ Rounding out the cast are Staz Nair, Fra Fee, Cleopatra Coleman, Stuart Martin, Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Alfonso Herrera, Cary Elwes, Rhian Rees, E. Duffy, Jena Malone, Sky Yang, Charlotte Maggi, and Corey Stoll. We can’t wait to see them in even more action when the full trailer for Rebel Moon drops in the future—we can’t imagine how long that will be.
Finally, alongside the teaser trailer, Netflix finally revealed the release dates for Rebel Moon. Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire hits Netflix on December 22, 2023. Rebel Moon: Part Two, The Scargiver, releases on the streamer on April 19, 2024.
Originally published on August 22, 2023.