Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon Is Getting More Spin-Offs Than Initially Expected
Even before Zack Snyder's "Rebel Moon" hits Netflix this December, audiences have plenty more to look forward to within the sci-fi space opera franchise. Outside of its already-announced sequel, Snyder and company have a planet's worth of additional content planned to further flesh out the universe.
"Rebel Moon," which follows a former member of a corrupt intergalactic government and her quest to unite a band of rebels in a fight for peace, is set to jump-start a franchise of epic proportions. Snyder went in-depth regarding his overall vision for the Rebel Moon property with Total Film. He revealed, "We're doing a narrative podcast, and an animated comic book, and an animated series." The "300" and "Man of Steel" director added that these projects will act as prequels to the Netflix film and help viewers comprehend the layered world-building.
As for what these chapters will entail, it all currently resides in Snyder's head. "I'm the gatekeeper for what's possible," he shared with Total Film. "I'm the only one who knows where the whole story is going, and I do have it mapped all the way." It's clear Snyder and his team have a rich vision for "Rebel Moon" and its several spin-offs, but few can imagine just how deep the rabbit hole goes.
Making Rebel Moon as big as possible was on Netflix's radar from the start
It may seem presumptuous for Zack Snyder to bank on "Rebel Moon" becoming big enough to warrant a franchise on the same level as Star Wars or the Marvel Cinematic Universe before its first entry releases. However, the idea of building such a massive sandbox was on Netflix's mind from the start when Snyder presented the idea, with the director telling Empire, "When I pitched it to Netflix, the scale was a thing they wanted. They were like, 'Well, how big could it be? How many movies?' That made me go, 'Okay, if we really do this, we can sink our teeth pretty deep into this. We can't really hit the bottom.'"
Thankfully, Snyder seems more than prepared for the gargantuan task. The writing team has detailed the entire timeline of the Rebel Moon story on a 12-foot whiteboard, with only a few inches dedicated to the first two films. Similarly, Snyder has written a detailed 450-page bible about the film's antagonists, the Imperium forces. The project's scope is so massive that the titular moon won't appear until the third movie. "The Rebel Moon is not the moon that they're on," Snyder told Empire. "The title was conceptual, but there's a planet named Vanna, and Vanna is the rebel moon. It's not even in one shot of this movie!" With such a grand production and high hopes for its follow-ups, time will tell how Netflix's big-time gamble with "Rebel Moon" pays off.