Zack Snyder has been concurrently exploring two original franchises at Netflix: the zombie genre actioner “Army of The Dead” and the two-parter “Rebel Moon.” The latter is an old “Star Wars” movie pitch the filmmaker made to Lucasfilm—turning Akira Kurosawa’s iconic “Seven Samurai” into a sci-fi fantasy adventure film. With the second “Rebel Moon” installment on the horizon this week (April 19), Snyder promises that even more is in the works. While speaking with Forbes, the “Watchmen” director said he, his producing partners, and writers are already planning a third movie and where it all goes.
“We have definitely been working on a ‘Part Three,’ as far as the story goes,” Snyder said of the future of his mature sci-fi universe. “We definitely know where we’re all headed – we’ve known that for quite a while, to be honest. So yeah, I’m excited to make some more Rebel Moon movies – that would be fun.”
Snyder is also working on R-rated versions of both “Rebel Moon” films, which he has said in the past will be six hours long in total. When precisely those R-rated director’s cuts will finally arrive on the streaming service hasn’t been made official yet. Still, Snyder says he believes they will arrive as early as this August, telling Forbes, “We don’t have a hard date, but probably sometime in August, I would say.”
It’s unclear when Snyder would be ready to gear up on that third “Rebel Moon” movie as he’s also attached to helm “Planet of The Dead” a sequel to “Army of The Dead” (said to be connected to the larger “Rebel Moon” universe). However, we’re still waiting on a production timeline and when Netflix aims to release that follow-up zombie project.
The other obstacle might be Netflix itself. The streamer has already given him a huge lofty budget for both films, but ‘Part One’ was met with scathing reviews (read ours here), currently sitting at a dismal 21% score on Rotten Tomatoes. If ‘The Scargiver,’ part two is also a bomb, will Netflix want to shell out more dough for a third film, or would they rather he just pivot to his more warmly received zombie franchise?
Here’s how Netflix describes the next “Rebel Moon” installment:
“The Scargiver” continues the epic saga of Kora and the surviving warriors as they prepare to sacrifice everything, fighting alongside the brave people of Veldt to defend a once peaceful village, a newfound homeland for those who have lost their own in the fight against the Motherworld. On the eve of their battle, the warriors must face the truths of their own pasts, each revealing why they fight. As the full force of the Realm bears down on the burgeoning rebellion, unbreakable bonds are forged, heroes emerge, and legends are made.
Additionally, Netflix’s film division is undergoing a major shake-up as veteran producer Dan Lin replaces an exiting Scott Stuber, and how the incoming Lin views Snyder’s feature film future may not be in his favor. Lin’s been reportedly vocal about the “quality and spending” issues Netflix has been facing. So, it seems unlikely Netflix will want to go greenlight more ‘Rebel’ if ‘Part Two’ doesn’t somehow change the negative narrative on these expensive, poorly-reviewed movies— again, especially if an already more well-received franchise (“Army Of The Dead”) is sitting there waiting for more.
“Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver” will make its exclusive debut on Netflix this April 19.