Rebel Moon director Zack Snyder breaks down why he’s so pleased his movie will premiere on Netflix rather than in theaters and it is largely because of his extended cuts.
During a conversation with Polygon, the filmmaker explained that he doesn’t enjoy the current model of theatrical releases, insisting that releasing Rebel Moon on a streaming platform is the ideal method of distribution for him.
“With this, I was not super interested in a theatrical release, especially with the PG-13 versus extended cuts,” Snyder said. “I feel like with the theatrical release, the way the model is, it takes some energy out of it.” Ahead of the movie’s debut on the service, Netflix has confirmed that two different versions of the film will be available, with Snyder’s Director’s Cut adding approximately 30 minutes of new footage.
Snyder Loves a Director’s Cut
“My big fans would say, ‘Why are they fucking with you? Just do [the extended cuts],’” he laughed. “In the initial conversations with Netflix, they made it a part of the plan.” Beyond the extended versions of Rebel Moon, the story has also been split into two movies, with the second chapter arriving mere months after the first.
“For me, with my drawings, there ends up being a lot of that to tell a deeper-dive story. With director’s cuts I’ve done in the past, in a vacuum, it’s how the movie would exist. It’s part of my relationship with fans,” Snyder explained.
Rebel Moon follows Kora (Sofia Boutella) as she travels across her galaxy in an effort to build a team of warriors to fight back against the invading forces of an evil empire led by Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee). Snyder originally pitched the movie as a grittier take on Star Wars before Lucasfilm ultimately passed on the idea, prompting him to make it his own.
Rebel Moon Part 1: A Child of Fire hits Netflix on December 22.
