Sofia Boutella to Star in Zack Snyder’s Netflix Sci-Fi Movie Rebel Moon

Zack Snyder’s sci-fi epic Rebel Moon has officially found its star. On Tuesday, it was confirmed that Atomic Blonde and Star Trek Beyond actress Sophia Boutella is set to star in the upcoming film, which is part of Snyder’s massive overall deal with Netflix. Reports indicate that Snyder has been meeting with actresses for this role for several months now, with Boutella among a small group of actresses who tested for the part, and that a decision was made “fast” after her audition “wowed” Snyder. Snyder is directing the film, which he co-wrote alongside Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad, based on a story by Snyder and Johnstad.

Rebel Moon is set in a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy that finds itself threatened by the armies of the tyrannical Regent Balisarius. They dispatch a young woman with a mysterious past to seek out warriors from neighboring planets to help them take a stand the Tyrant.

Earlier this year, it was reported that the idea for Rebel Moon initially began as a “more mature” pitch for Star Wars that Snyder made a decade prior, but that never came to fruition following Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm in 2012. Snyder reportedly considered even turning the idea into a potential series.

“This is me growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan,” Snyder said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”

This will be the latest project Snyder has set up at Netflix, including several Army of the Dead spinoffs — a prequel film Army of Thieves, the upcoming sequel Planet of the Dead, and an animated series titled Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas. He also is set to be involved with Twilight of the Gods, an animated series for the streamer inspired by Norse mythology.

What do you think of Sofia Boutella joining the cast of Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

h/t: Deadline