Everything we know about Zack Snyder’s epic movie Rebel Moon – Part One: Child of Fire

REBEL MOON: (L-R) Sofia Boutella as Kora and Djimon Hounsou as Titus in Rebel Moon. Cr. Clay Enos/Netflix © 2023
REBEL MOON: (L-R) Sofia Boutella as Kora and Djimon Hounsou as Titus in Rebel Moon. Cr. Clay Enos/Netflix © 2023

Zack Snyder’s next big Netflix project will be here before you know it and during Geeked Week 2023, Netflix finally shared a ton of new content for the movie, including the official full-length trailer, which you can check out below. Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire will get a limited theatrical release starting on December 15 before coming to Netflix on December 22. A sequel, titled Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver, is already in the works.

After a long stint at DC, Snyder is now one of Netflix’s most prominent directors, creating the zombie apocalypse film Army of the Dead. His next project is the epic sci-fi fantasy Rebel Moon, which will be split into two massive features with the potential for spinoff properties.

Army of the Dead came out in 2021 and became one of the most-watched movies on the platform and won the Oscars Fan Favorite contest. The heist film already spawned one prequel film, Army of Thieves, and the anime-style spinoff series Lost Vegas, though reports indicate the animated series might be in trouble (it also featured a crossover with Rebel Moon, establishing that the two continuities take place within the same universe). A sequel film titled Planet of the Dead is also in the works.

Based on Snyder’s current Netflix track record, we can assume that Rebel Moon will follow a similar trajectory. Netflix officially announced the cast several months ago, but new cast members have been revealed, plus additional details about the movie.

Below you’ll find details on everything we know about the film so far. For starters, check out the new trailer!

Rebel Moon – Part One: Child of Fire cast

The new trailer gives us a great peek at the many characters in the Rebel Moon universe, including Sofia Boutella’s character Kora, who acts as a delegate of sorts to recruit different warriors across the galaxy to help in the fight against the Imperium.

Among the warriors she visits are the former Imperium General played by Djimon Hounsou, a mercenary played by Sons of Anarchy alum Charlie Hunnam, and many more.

Here’s the full cast list for the film:

  • Sofia Boutella as Kora
  • Djimon Hounsou as General Titus
  • Michiel Huisman as Gunnar
  • Staz Nair as Tarak
  • Charlie Hunnam as Kai
  • Doona Bae as Nemesis
  • Ray Fisher as Darrian Bloodaxe
  • Cleopatra Coleman as Devra Bloodaxe
  • E. Duffy as Millius
  • Anthony Hopkins as Jimmy
  • Jena Malone as Harmada
  • Ed Skrein as Admiral Atticus Noble
  • Fra Fee as Regent Balisarius
  • Ingvar Sigurdsson as Hagen
  • Stuart Martin
  • Corey Stoll
  • Cary Elwes
  • Alfonso Herrera
  • Rhian Rees
  • Ray Porter
REBEL MOON: Staz Nair as Tarak in Rebel Moon. Cr. Chris Strother/Netflix © 2023
REBEL MOON: Staz Nair as Tarak in Rebel Moon. Cr. Chris Strother/Netflix © 2023

What is Rebel Moon – Part One: Child of Fire about?

Rebel Moon is heavily inspired by the Star Wars mythos and the works of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, particularly projects like Seven Samurai. The first part of the story introduces us to Sofia Boutella’s character, Kora, who crash-lands onto a moon and soon becomes a beacon of hope in the fight against a tyrannical ruler.

Here’s the official synopsis shared by Netflix:

"After crash landing on a moon in the furthest reaches of the universe, Kora (Sofia Boutella), a stranger with a mysterious past, begins a new life among a peaceful settlement of farmers. But she soon becomes their only hope for survival when the tyrannical Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee) and his cruel emissary, Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein), discover the farmers have unwittingly sold their crops to the Bloodaxes (Cleopatra Coleman and Ray Fisher) — leaders of a fierce group of insurgents hunted by the Motherworld.Tasked with finding fighters who would risk their lives to defend the people of Veldt, Kora and Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), a tenderhearted farmer naive in the realities of war, journey to different worlds in search of the Bloodaxes, and assemble a small band of warriors who share a common need for redemption along the way: Kai (Charlie Hunnam), a pilot and gun for hire; General Titus (Djimon Hounsou), a legendary commander; Nemesis (Doona Bae), a master swordswoman; Tarak (Staz Nair), a captive with a regal past; and Milius (E. Duffy), a resistance fighter. Back on Veldt, Jimmy (voiced by Anthony Hopkins), an ancient mechanized protector hiding in the wings, awakens with a new purpose. But the newly formed revolutionaries must learn to trust each other and fight as one before the armies of the Motherworld come to destroy them all."
REBEL MOON: Ed Skrein as Atticus Noble in Rebel Moon. Cr. Justin Lubin/Netflix © 2023
REBEL MOON: Ed Skrein as Atticus Noble in Rebel Moon. Cr. Justin Lubin/Netflix © 2023

Rebel Moon will be split into two parts and receive a separate, R-rated cut

According to the new exclusive first look from Vanity Fair, after Zack Snyder handed in a 172-page script, Netflix realized they would have a three-hour movie and decided against that.

Snyder was told to trim it down, but instead he offered to make two films. Now his upcoming epic will be told across two movies and each one will receive a “Snyder Cut,” a term popularized by his fans after the re-releases of his films Batman v Superman and Justice League.

Actually, Snyder is doing more than making two Rebel Moon movies. He’s technically making four. Each Rebel Moon film will receive two cuts, one that can be watched with your whole family and one that more mature and explicit aimed at adults.

Snyder says, “I think for fans of mine and people who are ready to take a deeper, harder dive, that’ll be fun for them,” referring to the adult cuts of his upcoming Netflix films.

Stay tuned to Netflix Life for more information and updates on Rebel Moon – Part One and Part Two. Rebel Moon – Part One premieres on December 22 on Netflix.