Rebel Moon’s Zack Snyder Explains Why Director’s Cuts Became a Major Part of His Filmmaking Process

Rebel Moon- Part One: A Child of Fire introduced fans to Zack Snyder’s anticipated new world on Netflix, though before the film even debuted there was already talk of a director’s cut. In this case though, the new cut of the film isn’t because of disagreements with the studio or other creative differences. Instead, it is an unfiltered R-rated version of the film that looks to also include other elements. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Snyder revealed what led to director’s cuts becoming such a well-known part of his filmmaking process along the way, including the much talked about director’s cut to Justice League.

“I would make a movie for the studio, and then my relationship with DVD would be like, I’d kind of be done with theatrical division, you know, who wanted the movie made,” Snyder said. “And I would just talk to DVD about like hey, if you guys give me a little extra money I can get you a weird version of the movie that you can sell again.”

“And when people started to get to know me and get to know that director’s cut, there was always something in it that they weren’t gonna get from the theatrical version,” Snyder said. “Then that started to become anthemic of what I do, and you end up with Justice League as the sort of quintessential insane journey to a director’s cut.”

Snyder doesn’t know if the full story of Justice League will ever be told, but what is apparent is that the process of creating a director’s cut for Rebel Moon was something entirely different. “I don’t know if that story’s ever going to be told in its entirety, but it’s a microcosm for kind of what I was able to achieve with this film, but with everyone’s eyes wide open and everyone really kind of like into it,” Snyder said.

Snyder has quite a few projects planned for the world of Rebel Moon, including spin-off comics, video games, shows, and more. Rebel Moon: Part 2 — The Scargiver will hit next year, and in the meantime, you can find the official description for Part One below.

“After crash landing on a moon in the furthest reaches of the universe, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a stranger with a mysterious past, begins a new life among a peaceful settlement of farmers. But she soon becomes their only hope for survival when the tyrannical Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee) and his cruel emissary, Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein), discover the farmers have unwittingly sold their crops to the Bloodaxes (Cleopatra Coleman and Ray Fisher) – leaders of a fierce group of insurgents hunted by the Motherworld. 

Tasked with finding fighters who would risk their lives to defend the people of Veldt, Kora and Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), a tenderhearted farmer naive in the realities of war, journey to different worlds in search of the Bloodaxes, and assemble a small band of warriors who share a common need for redemption along the way: Kai (Charlie Hunnam), a pilot and gun for hire; General Titus (Djimon Hounsou), a legendary commander; Nemesis (Doona Bae), a master swordswoman; Tarak (Staz Nair), a captive with a regal past; and Milius (E. Duffy), a resistance fighter. Back on Veldt, Jimmy (voiced by Anthony Hopkins), an ancient mechanized protector hiding in the wings, awakens with a new purpose. But the newly formed revolutionaries must learn to trust each other and fight as one before the armies of the Motherworld come to destroy them all.”

Rebel Moon- Part One: A Child of Fire is streaming on Netflix now.

What do you hope to see from the Rebel Moon director’s cut? Let us know in the comments and you can talk all things Rebel Moon with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!