Zack Snyder has unveiled his next project for Netflix, a sci-fi film titled Rebel Moon. Snyder has made a name for himself as one of the most visually impressive filmmakers of the 21st century, transporting audiences to ancient Greece in 300, to the various worlds of the DC Universe in Man of Steel and Batman V. Superman. After revisiting the zombie genre with Army of the Dead, the filmmaker has his eyes set on an original science-fiction film.
Army of the Dead was a huge hit for Netflix and the streaming service has more plans to expand the story. They have two prequels planned around it, a film titled Army of Thieves and an anime series, Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas, planned. After a difficult time working with a major studio like Warner Bros., Netflix has offered Snyder a great deal of creative freedom and he has found a strong working relationship with the studio, so he now is working with Netflix again on his next project.
According to THR, Snyder's next film, Rebel Moon, will focus on a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy that is threatened by war from the armies of a tyrannical regent named Balisarius, and the only hope for the colonies is a young woman with a mysterious past who is sent out to recruit warriors from neighboring planets to defend the colony. Snyder will co-write the script alongside Shay Hatten (Army of the Dead) and Kurt Johnstad (300). Snyder cited Star Wars and the films of director Akira Kurosawa as inspiration. Read what Snyder said below:
This is me growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan. 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.
Many will remember that Snyder pitched a Seven Samurai-style film to Lucasfilm back in 2013, but the discussions never got past the pitch stage. Snyder spoke recently about how he planned to take the pitch and create his own sci-fi story from it. Now, it appears the idea evolved into Rebel Moon, and all the Star Wars elements have been removed to create a new IP that Netflix can spin off into other projects.
This news is also a further nail in the coffin for the idea of The Snyderverse continuing at Warner Bros. Since 300 in 2007, Snyder had exclusively made films for Warner Bros. But after the trouble behind the scenes of Justice League, Snyder left Warner Bros. and appears to have fully set up shop at Netflix. In a way to distinguish themselves from the major studios, Netflix has offered major filmmakers like Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and now Zack Snyder complete creative control over whatever projects they want. While Warner Bros. has moved away from Snyder's vision for the DCEU, Snyder has now found a studio that will not interfere with his vision for Rebel Moon.
Source: THR