Zack Snyder has moved away from the capes of the DC Universe to create his own original projects. The first post-DC film he released was Army of the Dead, a zombie movie that was released on Netflix in 2021. On December 22, 2023, his next film will be released, Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire. Snyder appeared next to Geoff Keighley on the Gamescom Opening Night Live stage to show off a trailer for Rebel Moon and he also talked about his vision for a cross-media universe. So, let’s go through everything we know about Rebel Moon, Zack Snyder’s new cross-media franchise.
What Do We Know About the Cross-Media Rebel Moon Universe?Â
The Rebel Moon movie was announced in 2021, inspired by the films of Akira Kurosawa and Star Wars. In fact, Snyder originally pitched a version of it to Disney as a Star Wars film years ago before repurposing it for these new Rebel Moon films for Netflix. We didn’t know much about the cross-media Rebel Moon universe before Snyder appeared at Gamescom to show off the trailer for A Child of Fire. During his time on stage, Snyder talked about the upcoming movie and its sequel, as well as a game set in the same universe.Â
That’s not all, as there has also been word of a Rebel Moon graphic novel, series, and a novelization for the film. Even though these projects have been in development for a while, we don’t actually know much about them. We only saw the first look at the soon-to-be franchise at Opening Night Live, and none of the projects have been released yet. With that being said, it’s worth looking at the Rebel Moon movies and what we know about them.
A Child of Fire and The Scargiver
There are two upcoming Rebel Moon movies, A Child of Fire and The Scargiver. Originally, these two films were going to be one movie, but Snyder announced that they would be split into two: Rebel Moon: Part 1 and Part 2. Rebel Moon: Part 1 – A Child of Fire will be released on December 22 later this year, while Rebel Moon: Part 2 – The Scargiver is set to release on April 19, 2024. They take place in an original science fiction universe and the trailer really looks like Snyder just mashed a bunch of movies together, including Dune and Star Wars.
The plot of the film seems pretty simple. Kora, a former member of an army called the Imperium, belonging to a tyrannical government called the Mother World, feels guilty about her role in the oppression across the galaxy. So, Kora recruits some other rebels to help her defend the moon of Veldt against the Imperium. Kora is being played by Sofia Boutella, who you might recognize from Kingsman: The Secret Service and The Mummy. Alongside her are Djimon Hounsou (Shazam, 300), Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword), and Michiel Huisman (The Haunting of Hill House, Game of Thrones).Â
That’s not all, as Staz Nair, Ray Fisher, Doona Bae, Jena Malone, Ed Skrein, and Sir Anthony Hopkins will all be appearing. Hopkins voices a robot, which you can hear in the trailer. Not much is known about the second film other than its release date, and we will probably know more about The Scargiver’s plot after the first movie is released later this year. But that’s just the start of Zack Snyder’s cross-media Rebel Moon universe.Â
The Untitled Rebel Moon Game
Unsurprisingly, we don’t know much about the upcoming game set in the Rebel Moon universe. Snyder announced that Super Evil Megacorp is working on a game set after the events of the two movies. We know that there will also be cooperative play. The assumption would be that you and a friend can play as rebels and team up against the Imperium, but again, we would need to wait until the release of the films to have a more accurate representation of the plot details.Â
Super Evil Megacorp announced the collaboration back in March 2023, and with no date, we feel comfortable saying that the game is still early in development. Super Evil Megacorp previously worked on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate, Catalyst Black, and Vain Glory. All three of these games were mobile releases. We currently don’t know what platforms the untitled Rebel Moon game will be released on. We do know that this is a collaboration with Netflix Games, which recently celebrated the release of Oxenfree 2.
So, it looks like Zack Snyder has many plans to shape and expand his new Rebel Moon universe. Let’s just hope he isn’t putting the cart before the horse, and that Rebel Moon: Part 1 – A Child of Fire is well received when it releases on Netflix on December 22.Â