Rebel Moon Official Trailer: Why The Narrator Sounds So Familiar

Every good story needs a good storyteller to bring it to life. And while director Zack Snyder is ultimately fulfilling that role for the upcoming epic sci-fi adventure "Rebel Moon," the film's spectacular trailer is given a boost thanks to the silvery tones of another voice guiding us through this new world. If the narrator sounds eerily familiar, you're probably right, as the voice belongs to none other than Sir Anthony Hopkins, who you've more than likely seen before. 

The film follows Kora (Sofia Boutella), the former member of a corrupt government, working to rally warriors from a peaceful colony against an oncoming tyrannical army. In it, Hopkins voices the robot Jimmy, a once-proud fighting machine who served under the former king. Outside of a shot at the trailer's beginning, Jimmy primarily serves as a narrator at the start, middle, and end of the clip. He sets things in motion by regaling the story of a princess who brought peace to her war-torn world, more than likely foreshadowing Kora's journey throughout the film. His other two lines in the trailer — "A king is a man and a man can fail. But a myth is indestructible" and "Who among you is willing to die for what you believe?" — reflect the film's philosophical undertones while also hinting at his character's loyalty.

No matter what he's blurting out, Anthony Hopkins' voice imbues Jimmy with the gravitas and wisdom that a battle-harden warrior should possess. And in his own right, Hopkins is a warrior within the entertainment industry.

It's always impressive when one performer can transform into various fictional characters, but it says a lot more when an actor is consistently asked to portray real-life figures. Sir Anthony Hopkins has made a name for himself doing just that. From the start of his career, Hopkins was portraying such massive names as Richard I of England in 1968's "The Lion in Winter" and author Charles Dickens in the 1970 television film "The Great Inimitable Mr. Dickens." This continued on throughout the 1970s, depicting British airborne officer Lieutenant Colonel Frost in 1977's "A Bridge to Far" and even twice playing U.K. Prime Minister David Lloyd George in 1972's "Young Winston" and an episode of the 1973 miniseries "The Edwardians."

Hopkins continued this trend in the next decade with the 1980 David Lynch tearjerker "The Elephant Man" where he portrayed Dr. Frederick Treves, the kind-hearted surgeon who looks after the titular deformed individual (John Hurt). His real-life roles continued spanning far and wide, from Pablo Picasso in 1996's "Surviving Picasso" to New Zealand speed bike racer Burt Munro in 2005's "The World's Fastest Indian" to filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock in 2012's "Hitchcock." Three of his Oscar nominations are for these performances with "Nixon," "Amistad" (where he plays President John Quincy Adams), and "The Two Popes" (where he portrays Pope Benedict XVI). 

And that's not even the end of it for the actor. Two of Hopkins' upcoming parts will see him play British humanitarian Nicholas Winton in "One Life" and neurologist pioneer Sigmund Freud in "Freud's Last Session."

Horror fans know the pain of their beloved genre being disregarded as little more than disposable entertainment by many. But throw Anthony Hopkins into the equation and you have something that demands attention. 

Perhaps his most well-known role, in or out of the genre, is that of the fearsome cannibal Hannibal Lecter. Based on the Thomas Harris-created character, Hopkins first portrayed Lecter in what may arguably be his most beloved film, the 1991 psychological horror "The Silence of the Lambs." In it, he works alongside desperate FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) to hunt down the ruthless skin-slicing serial killer Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). Lecter's intelligent, sophisticated nature is contrasted by his taste for human flesh, making him a useful but untrustworthy ally at times. Hopkins' calculated, chilling performance won him his first Academy Award for best actor, and he'd go on to reprise the role in 2001's "Hannibal" and 2002's "Red Dragon."

He made notable appearances in more straightforward horror adaptations as well, including 1992's "Bram Stoker's Dracula" where he portrayed Professor Van Helsing, and 2010's "The Wolfman," which saw him play Sir John Talbot. In 2020, Hopkins received further acclaim for his performance in "The Father" as the dementia-riddled Anthony Evans. While more of a psychological drama than a straight-on horror flick, the movie's gut-wrenching depiction of dementia, aided by Hopkins' superb performance, is frankly more terrifying than any movie about a monster or slash villain could ever be. The film rightfully won Hopkins his second Academy Award for best actor, making him the oldest performer to receive the prestigious accolade at the age of 83. 

Anthony Hopkins may not be the first name to come to mind when thinking about the world's greatest action stars. But even if the acclaimed actor doesn't necessarily pull off Tom Cruise-level stunts, he's nevertheless been able to make his mark through some memorable roles. 

In 2006, he starred in the Robert Zemeckis-directed animated fantasy film "Beowulf" as King Hrothgar, the first time the actor worked with effects-heavy techniques such as motion capture. Years later, Hopkins birthed one of his most remembered roles in 2011's "Thor" as Odin Borson. The ruler of Asgard and father of Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Odin is a peaceful and noble leader with a good heart, even adopting Loki (Tom Hiddleston), the son of a former adversary. However, he is not afraid to flex his muscles when need be. This is most evident when he banishes Thor to Earth and strips him of his powers after he nearly starts a war with the Frost Giants. Hopkins also appeared in the two following entries, "Thor: The Dark World" and "Thor: Ragnarok." 

His part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is likely what led to his following roles in similar movies and shows, including "Transformers: The Last Night" in 2017 as Sir Edmund Burton and 17 episodes of the HBO series "Westworld" as Dr. Robert Ford. "Rebel Moon" will be the latest in his catalog of epics and will certainly be one worth checking out when it drops on Netflix on December 22.