Netflix’s Rebel Moon Part 1: release date, trailer, cast, plot, and more

Rebel Moon is almost here, ladies and gentlemen. Zack Snyder’s next big-budget movie takes flight on Netflix in mere days (at the time of writing) so, if you’re curious to learn more about the space-fantasy epic ahead of release, you’ve come to the right place.

Below, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know about one of 2023’s most anticipated new Netflix movies. Details you’ll learn more about in this guide include Rebel Moon Part One‘s release date, confirmed cast, trailers, plot details, and the franchise’s future.

Before you feast on the veritable bounty below, though, you’ll want to read our spoiler-free thoughts on Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire to see if it’s worth watching and/or if it’ll make its way onto our best Netflix movies list in due course. Then, read our exclusive chat with Snyder and the film’s cast to see how it’s shooting for the stars in epic space-fantasy fashion.

There’s plenty of other exclusive coverage from us scattered throughout this article, so be sure to read those, too. Engage engines, dear reader, and let’s begin.

Rebel Moon release date

We already knew Rebel Moon Part 1 would lead Netflix’s exciting 2023 movie line-up, but it wasn’t until late August that the world’s best streaming service announced its official release date.

And, by release date, we obviously mean two. Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire debuts on Thursday, December 21 in the US and Friday, December 22 internationally.

Per Variety, it’s also getting a very limited 70mm theatrical release between December 15 and 21, so you’ll have to act fast (if you’re reading this before Dec. 21) and visit one of these four cinemas to catch it:

• Egyptian Theatre (Los Angeles)
• Paris Theater (New York City)
• TIFF Bell Lightbox (Toronto)
• Prince Charles Cinema (London)

Once Part One launches, we’ll have a four month wait on for its sequel Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver, which arrives on April 19, 2024.

But wait, there’s more. You’ll be able to watch two different cuts of Rebel Moon, with R-rated cuts reportedly set to be released in late 2024 (per Variety). Snyder has also confirmed a director’s cut is being worked on, which will stitch the two movies together into a single entity. Clearly, Snyder wants Rebel Moon‘s director’s cut to test your movie runtime limits – and that of the movie’s actors, too, with some cast members revealing they couldn’t believe how long Rebel Moon‘s director’s cut will be.

Rebel Moon trailer

Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire‘s official trailer was released during Netflix Geeked Week 2023 and it looks like the epic sci-fi fantasy franchise Netflix has been searching for.

If there was any doubt this was a Snyder production, fans can clearly see his indelible fingerprints all over it. From visually beautiful shots and action-packed moments, to the medley of bright and murky colors on show and the director’s penchant for slow-mo filmmaking, Snyder’s devote fanbase will find lots to enjoy above.

Missed the first teaser, which arrived in August and showed Rebel Moon is Netflix’s terrific answer to Star Wars? Check it out below:

Rebel Moon cast

Here’s the official cast for Rebel Moon Part One, which Netflix offered a first look at in February 2022:

• Sofia Boutella as Kora 
• Ed Skrein as Atticus Noble 
• Djimon Hounsou as Titus 
• Charlie Hunnam as Kai 
• Michiel Huisman as Gunnar 
• Staz Nair as Tarak 
• Doona Bae as Nemesis 
• Ray Fisher as Darrian Bloodaxe 
• Cleopatra Coleman as Devra Bloodaxe 
• E. Duffy as Millius 
• Anthony Hopkins as Jimmy 
• Charlotte Maggi as Sam
• Fra Fee as Balisarius 
• Alfonso Herrera as Cassius
• Corey Stoll as Sindri
• Jena Malone as Harmada 
• Ingvar Sigurdsson as Hagen

Boutella’s Kora is the star of this particular show. A former member of the tyrannical Imperium (think Star Wars‘ Galactic Empire), Kora rallies warriors from across the galaxy to fight against the oppressive regime, with many of the above joining the call to arms. That includes Hounsou’s disgraced Imperium general Titus and Hunnam’s mercenary starship pilot Kai.

Boutella told Vanity Fair that Kora represents the idea of people who run from their problems, until that becomes an issue in itself: “She knows the guilt that she’s been living with, and the first step of her redemption is doing something about it instead of going away. I think that, as much as it is sci-fi, it’s a very human story.”

Two of the most esoteric parts will be played by Malone, who plays a giant spider-being called Harmada, and Hopkins, who voices a centuries-old mechanical knight called Jimmy.

On the antagonists’ side, Fee’s Balisarius and Skrein’s Noble are the most notable. The former is the Imperium’s fascist leader, with the latter their loyal right-hand man.

“I’ve played antagonists at points in my career in the past, and I think when I’ve done it well, I’ve been able to add some kind of humanity and some kind of empathy to the characters,” Skrein told Vanity Fair. “This is a bit different. With this character, I pointedly chose to leave humanity out of it completely for the first time.”

Finally, there are a number of other actors who have been cast in undisclosed roles, with Stuart Martin, Cary Elwes, Rhian Rees, and Ray Porter are among that contingent.

Rebel Moon plot: synopsis and rumors

Rebel Moon‘s official plot synopsis reads as follows: “After crash landing on a moon in the furthest reaches of the universe, Kora (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 (Fee) and his cruel emissary, Admiral Noble (Skrein), discover the farmers have unwittingly sold their crops to the Bloodaxes (Coleman and 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 (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 (Hunnam), a pilot and gun for hire; General Titus (Hounsou), a legendary commander; Nemesis (Doona), a master swordswoman; Tarak (Nair), a captive with a regal past; and Milius (Duffy), a resistance fighter. 

“Back on Veldt, Jimmy (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.”

Speaking to Netflix Tudum about what inspired the film’s ‘band of brothers’ approach, Snyder said: “I’ve always loved this idea of these underdog teams going against impossible odds. Even in college, when they would ask us what kind of a movie we were going to make when we got out of school, I said ‘I’m going to make a space team-building underdog movie’. And so it went on to the back burner for a long time.”

Rebel Moon, then, has been in development for a long time. In fact, originally it was a Star Wars project, with Snyder telling Tudum it “saw light briefly as a [potential] Star Wars movie”. However, after pitching it to Lucasfilm around 2012 (a pitch that was rejected), Snyder and company reworked it into its current story and universe (more on this later), with the writer-director adding: “It just felt like, during the pandemic, it really gestated into a real movie. While Army of the Dead was probably still in post, I was pitching it to Netflix as a follow-up, what I wanted to do next.”

Alongside the obvious comparisons to Star Wars, Snyder also revealed (via) The Hollywood Reporter that there was another big influence on him and the resulting film. “This is me growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan,” he said in 2021. “It’s my love of sci-fi and a giant adventure”. Snyder has also cited The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, and Seven Samurai as other big inspirations on this flick. 

Speaking exclusively to TechRadar, Snyder also revealed four other surprise movie influences on its universe building, story components, themes, and overall design and aesthetic. Concerning the latter, Snyder built a whole new camera lens to give Rebel Moon a “distorted retro” look, too.

Like Army of the Dead, Snyder’s first project under his Netflix deal – and viewed by 72 million people in its first four weeks, according to the streamer’s in-house data – which has now expanded out into prequel and sequel films, he plans to do the same with Rebel Moon, saying: “My hope is that this also becomes a massive IP and a universe that can be built out.” Pah, who needs the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) anyway?

Rebel Moon’s future on Netflix

For those who like their films a little more graphic, Rebel Moon will (as mentioned) get an R-rated extended cut and Snyder director’s edition in addition to its original PG-13 iteration.

“The director’s cut is close to an hour of extra content, so I think it’s a legitimate extended universe version,” Snyder told Tudum. “The director’s [cut] is a settle-in deep dive, which I have notoriously done throughout my career. I don’t know how I got into this director’s cut thing, but what I will say about it is that, for me, the director’s cuts have always been something I had to fight for in the past and nobody wanted it. It was this bastard child that I was always trying to put together because they felt like there was a deeper version. 

“And with Netflix, we shot scenes just for the director’s cut. So in that way, it’s really a revelation because it gives that second kick at the can for big fans, like a real discovery that they would not [otherwise] get.”

The sequel, Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver, was filmed at the same time as its predecessor, so there’s not long to wait at all for the follow-up film, either.

Deborah Synder, the director’s wife and producing partner, also explained to Vanity Fair why the film was split in two: “[Netflix boss] Scott Stuber was like, ‘On the service, under-two-hour movies really do better for some reason,’ even though you’ll binge-watch a series of eight episodes. 

“Zack said ‘If you ask me to make this less than two hours, I’m going to lose all the character. You won’t care about these people. It’s a character story about how people can change, and redemption, and what are you willing to fight for…’ So he said ‘What if I give you two movies?’” As the saying goes, the rest is history.

Speaking of history, there’s plenty more that could be explored in Rebel Moon‘s universe – one it surprisingly shares with Army of the Dead, in fact – if the two movies prove successful. In a New York Times article, it’s suggested Rebel Moon‘s main story will actually be told across a trilogy of films, so it’s possible another entry will be greenlit (if it hasn’t already been secretly) in the near future.

This is just the start of an expansive new IP for Netflix, too, if Snyder gets his way. Speaking to Total Film, he revealed his ambitions to make an animated series, an animated comic book (whatever that is), and a narrative-driven podcast, which will open up the universe to fans of all forms of media. Oh, and a co-op action video game is coming from Super Evil Megacorp, too, as the tweet in our plot section confirms.

Much depends on how well Rebel Moon‘s two films do first but, if we know anything about Snyder’s legion of fans, they’ll ensure it’s popular and successful enough to deserve more stories. Roll on Rebel Moon Part Two and whatever comes our way, we say.

For more Netflix-based coverage, read our guides on Stranger Things season 5, Arcane season 2, the best Netflix shows, and best Netflix documentaries.