Zack Snyder's "Rebel Moon" Movies to Get Multiple Cuts

American filmmaker Zack Snyder has affirmed online speculation surrounding his forthcoming Netflix space opera "Rebel Moon", confirming that it will be split into two films, with multiple cuts to be released of each installment. 

Snyder’s comments came as part of an interview with Vanity Fair, also featuring his producing partner and wife, Deborah Snyder. 

Deborah explains that the decision to split Rebel Moon into a two-parter emerged from a dialogue with higher-ups at Netflix, including Film chairman Scott Stuber. 

“Originally, the script was one movie, but it was in ‘Zack form,'” she says. “It was 172 pages.”

She also addressed the runtime of the movie, which would come in at around a three-hour runtime.

“Stuber was like, ‘On the service, under-two-hour movies really do better for some reason,’ even though you’ll binge-watch a series of eight episodes," she explained.

“Zack said, ‘If you ask me to make this less than two hours, I’m going to lose all the character. You won’t care about these people. It’s a character story about how people can change, and redemption, and what are you willing to fight for…'” continued Deborah Snyder. 

“So [Stuber] said, ‘What if I give you two movies?'”.

While the first chapter of Rebel Moon will arrive on Netflix on December 22, a release date for the second has yet to be revealed. Still, said Snyder, “It won’t be long after. Netflix can do things that a traditional studio can’t do as far as how close together the movies are released.”

As to the multiple cuts of the Rebel Moon movies, he explained that the first will be one “that anyone can enjoy and watch,” with the second for each installment to be more adult-oriented.

 “I think for fans of mine and people who are ready to take a deeper, harder dive, that’ll be fun for them,” he said.

A sci-fi adventure film that Snyder has been mulling since college, “Rebel Moon” was inspired by the filmmaker's love of “Star Wars” and the films of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.

The intergalactic saga was initially billed as Snyder’s version of Star Wars, with plans in place for a sequel.

“Rebel Moon” was initially set to be a Star Wars project, however, nothing came of it. Snyder and producer Eric Newman later developed the project as a series, but they ultimately realized that the plot worked better as a feature.

The movie features Anthony Hopkins as the voice of Jimmy, a JC1435 sentient mechanized robot, Sofia Boutella plays the role of Kora, Djimon Hounsou as General Titus, and Ed Skrein plays the role of Regent Belisarius.

It also stars Charlie Hunnam, Doona Bae, Ray Fisher, Stuart Martin, Cary Elwes, Corey Stoll, Michiel Huisman, Alfonso Herrera, Cleopatra Coleman, Kingston Foster, Fra Fee, Rhian Rees, Jena Malone, E. Duffy, Ingvar Sigurdsson, Charlotte Maggi, Sky Yang, and Staz Nair.

“Rebel Moon” is centered around a young woman (Boutella) with a mysterious past who gets dispatched by a peaceful colony to seek out warriors from neighboring planets to help them make a stand against the terrorizing armies of a tyrant called Belisarius.

Rebel Moon

 Snyder directs the saga back-to-back from a script he co-wrote with Kurt Johnstad, and Shay Hatten, though the latter will not receive a story credit as he was recruited for the project long after its inception.

The acclaimed director and his wife, Deborah Snyder, will produce through their Stone Quarry Productions company alongside Wesley Coller. Newman will also produce under his new company Grand Electric, while Sarah Bowen and Bergen Swanson will serve as executive producers.