Rebel Moon: Release date, cast and plot for Zack Snyder Netflix epic

The film, which Synder co-wrote with his Army of the Dead collaborator Shay Hatten and Atomic Blonde writer Kurt Johnstad, follows a young woman (Sofia Boutella) who must search for fighters who can fight off an impending invasion by the totalitarian ruler Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee). The second part, titled The Scargiver, will be arriving in April 2024.

Here's everything you need to know!

Rebel Moon release date: When will it hit Netflix?

Rebel Moon will be released on Netflix on Friday 22nd December 2023. That's an early Christmas present to look forward to for Snyder fans, then.

The film has also received a theatrical release and is out in cinemas now.

Is there a trailer for Rebel Moon?

The first official trailer was released in August. Watch below:

What is the plot of Rebel Moon?

Here’s the official synopsis: “When a peaceful colony on the edge of a galaxy finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, Kora (Boutella), a mysterious stranger living among the villagers, becomes their best hope for survival."

It continues: "Tasked with finding trained fighters who will unite with her in making an impossible stand against the Mother World, Kora assembles a small band of warriors — outsiders, insurgents, peasants and orphans of war from different worlds who share a common need for redemption and revenge.

"As the shadow of an entire Realm bears down on the unlikeliest of moons, a battle over the fate of a galaxy is waged, and in the process, a new army of heroes is formed.”

It will certainly be impressive in scale and scope – this is just the first half of what was conceived as a two-part film, with both instalments having been shot back to back.

"This is me growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan," Snyder told The Hollywood Reporter when the project was first announced in 2021. "It’s my love of sci-fi and a giant adventure. My hope is that this also becomes a massive IP and a universe that can be built out."

Is Rebel Moon an original story?

Yes - but it did start as a Star Wars project. Director Zack Snyder recently told RadioTimes.com about how he didn't want to "shy away" from the film's Star Wars origins, saying: ""It was an interesting balance that we had to strike because I wasn't afraid of there being a reference...

"Star Wars is ubiquitous – you can't turn a corner without running into Baby Yoda... and so I think that to make a real hard effort not to do that really limits where you can be creatively. So we just said, 'OK, we know that exists. So fine. We're going to just design things now.' Just [things] that we like, and we're going to use that are sort of our taste level, what we think is cool.

"And we're not going to worry if sometimes those things overlap."

Rebel Moon stars

A huge ensemble cast has been assembled for the film, with key players including SAS Rogue Heroes star Sofia Boutella as Kora, Alita: Battle Angel's Ed Skrein as Balisarius, Justice League's Ray Fisher as Blood Axe, Shazam!'s Djimon Hounsou as General Titus and the great Sir Anthony Hopkins as the voice of a battle robot named Jimmy.

Elsewhere, there are roles for Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy), Jena Malone (Sucker Punch), Corey Stoll (Ant-Man), Cleopatra Coleman (Dopesick), Fra Fee (Hawkeye) and Cary Elwes (Stranger Things), among many more.

Lead actress Boutella recently told RadioTimes.com of her early conversations with Snyder: "He basically just told me exactly the script and the character. He didn't give me too much about how he wanted me to play her, he just told me the story and their circumstances and rest was on the sides that I had.

"And then there is a movie number two, [where] you'll find out there is something quite complicated about Cora that I had to find [out], [which] was so complicated for me."

Rebel Moon will be released on Netflix on Friday 22nd December 2023. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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