Netflix's Rebel Moon Trailer Features A 300 Callback All Zack Snyder Fans Will Pop For

After months of waiting, the dazzling first trailer for Zack Snyder's "Rebel Moon" has been released. The forthcoming sci-fi epic is set to be released in two parts by Netflix on December 22, 2023, and April 19, 2024, and it's already shaping up to be one of the most ambitious movies that Snyder has ever made. As anyone familiar with his past films will be able to attest — that's saying a lot.

In the lead-up to its release, "Rebel Moon" has received comparisons to everything from Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" to George Lucas' "Star Wars." Based on everything that's been released from the movie so far, it's not hard to see why, either. The "Rebel Moon" trailer even has shades of "Warhammer 40k," a miniature wargame that happens to be a favorite of one of Snyder's previous collaborators, Henry Cavill. The movie's debut teaser doesn't just reference other, non-Snyder-helmed properties, though.

On the contrary, the "Rebel Moon" trailer features one brief shot of General Titus (Djimon Hounsou) notably punt-kicking one of his combatants on the battlefield. The blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment immediately calls to mind one of the most famous scenes that Snyder has ever shot: Leonidas' epic punt kick in 2007's "300." That scene, which happens to contain the most famous quote from "300" ("This is Sparta!"), sees Gerard Butler's Spartan king plant his foot against an enemy's sternum and push him into a cavernous pit.

As indebted as it may be to the works of filmmakers like Akira Kurosawa and George Lucas, it's clear that "Rebel Moon" is a Zack Snyder film through and through. In addition to its brief "300" homage, the film's first trailer bears all the hallmarks of Snyder's established style and artistic perspective. From its outsized action sequences to its frequent use of slow-motion, "Rebel Moon" already looks, sounds, and feels like a fitting addition to Snyder's filmography.

The two-part movie will also continue what has become an unofficial tradition for the filmmaker. Indeed, it has been confirmed that — in addition to the shorter PG-13 cut of the film that will debut in December and April — Netflix will also release a longer, R-rated director's cut of "Rebel Moon." In an interview with Tudum, Snyder teased what fans can expect to see from the expanded cut. "The director's cut is close to an hour of extra content, so I think it's a legitimate extended universe version. You really get to see a lot. It's just more painted-in all the way," he revealed. "The director's [cut] is a settle-in deep dive, which I have notoriously done throughout my career."

The filmmaker has made alternate versions of several of his previous movies, including "Dawn of the Dead," "Watchmen," "Batman v. Superman," and "Justice League." Now, fans can add "Rebel Moon" to the list of Snyder-directed movies that they'll not only get the chance to see once, but twice. Whether or not they'll see more "300" homages like the one described above in one or both versions of "Rebel Moon," however, remains a mystery for the time being.