Rebel Moon: Zack Snyder Reveals Director's Cut Adds an Hour Back Into the Netflix Movie

Rebel Moon: Part One: A Child of Fire arrives on Netflix later this year, kicking off a new franchise from fan-favorite director Zack Snyder. For years, Snyder has become known for having director's cuts of his projects — and it sounds like Rebel Moon will absolutely be no exception. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Snyder revealed that both film installments of Rebel Moon will have R-rated director's cuts, which will be released on Netflix at a later date. According to Snyder, elements of the grand Rebel Moon story are completely different in the longer cut of the film.

"It's a full hour longer," Snyder revealed. "It's not just slightly different or a little bit more. There are big chunks of the movie that are different. A lot more stuff is fleshed out."

"Zack is a world-builder," producer Wesley Coller explained. "He loves the layering of a world and the details of a story and the nuances of a character. His process always has him doing so much exploring what's under the hood, not just what we see on screen. Having the opportunity to take this fresh idea and build all of that out, asking this question over here and finding the answer to that over there, was the most exciting part to him." 

What Is Rebel Moon About?

In Rebel Moon: Part One: A Child of Fire, when a peaceful settlement on a moon in the furthest reaches of the universe finds itself threatened by the armies of the tyrannical Regent Balisarius, 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 Motherworld, 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 new army of heroes is formed.

"This is me growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan," Snyder said in a statement when the film was first announced. "It's my love of sci-fi and a giant adventure. My hope is that this also becomes a massive IP and a universe that can be built out... I've spent the last two or three years building out this universe. Every corner has to be painted in. I've been doing designs, constantly drawing and really cultivating its fertile ground to make this world fully realized."

What Is Zack Snyder Making for Netflix?

Snyder's collaboration with Netflix, which began with 2021's Army of the Dead, has inspired multiple film and television projects. This includes several Army of the Dead spinoffs, as well as Twilight of the Gods, an animated series for the streamer inspired by Norse mythology.

Are you looking forward to the director's cuts of Rebel Moon? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Rebel Moon: Part One: A Child of Fire will be released exclusively on Netflix on Friday, December 22nd.