Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver Release Date, Cast, Plot, Trailer And More Details
There's nothing more inspiring than a group of underdogs rising up and pushing back. Movies about rebellion are movies about hope. They're about people banding together and fighting for their freedom. And with all that human drama, you can also incorporate quite a few action scenes. No wonder filmmakers keep going back to that revolutionary well, giving us movies and TV shows like "Battleship Potemkin," "Spartacus," "Andor," and "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."
Now, one of the most exciting modern-day directors is putting his own spin on this time-honored tradition. With Zack Snyder at the helm, the second installment of "Rebel Moon" will be soaring onto Netflix soon, and based on the action and imagery of the first film, it'll definitely fill that "Star Wars"-sized hole in your heart. But what can we expect from this sequel pitting the little guys against Big Brother? And when will we see Snyder's epic adventure play out on our TV screens? Well, read on for everything you need to know about Zack Snyder's "Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver."
When will Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver be released?
Zack Snyder's script for "Rebel Moon" was a whopping 200 pages (that's massive for a screenplay), and Netflix wanted it to be shorter. So the two parties decided to compromise. Instead of one super-sized movie, they'd release a volume one and a volume two, a la "Kill Bill." But when exactly will we see all the sci-fi action play out?
Well, the first installment of "Rebel Moon" — subtitled "A Child of Fire" — premiered on the streamer on December 21, 2023. The first film racked up 23.9 million views in three days, which honestly isn't great when compared to other Netflix films like "Murder Mystery 2" and "Extraction 2." The movie also took a critical drubbing, earning itself a 24% on Rotten Tomatoes. Snyder diehards seemed to enjoy the film though, and no one can deny that it's a visual treat. But when will we see the sequel?
"Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver" hits Netflix on April 19, 2024, completing the tale of Kora and her outlaw friends. Snyder has also revealed that he'll be releasing a director's cut of "Rebel Moon," which will be substantially longer. Speaking with Netflix's site Tudum, Snyder revealed, "The director's cut is close to an hour of extra content, so I think it's a legitimate extended universe version. You really get to see a lot. It's just more painted-in all the way. The director's [cut] is a settle-in deep dive, which I have notoriously done throughout my career." Speaking on "The Director's Cut" podcast, Snyder revealed we'd see his R-rated take sometime during the summer of 2024.
What is the plot of Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver?
Drawing major inspiration from Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" and its American remake "The Magnificent Seven," "Rebel Moon" centers around the peaceful farmers of Veldt, men and women who spend their days growing grain and paying little attention to the goings-on of the galaxy. That majorly changes when the all-powerful Imperium — an Empire-like government headquartered on the menacing-sounding Motherworld — shows up on their doorstep.
The Imperium demands the farmers hand over their wheat or die, forcing an outsider named Korea to assemble a supergroup of outlaw soldiers to defend the outgunned villagers. By the end of the first film, Kora and her crew — including the wide-eyed Gunnar, swordswoman Nemesis, and rebel leader Darrian Bloodaxe — have dealt a serious blow to the Imperium, having defeated the vicious Atticus Noble. However, after he's resurrected, the Imperium officer is tasked by the dictator Balisarius to retrieve Kora and bring her back to the Motherworld for a bloody execution.
So what else is next in this struggle of good versus evil? Well, according to the official Netflix plot synopsis, the sequel will continue "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."
Who is starring in Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver?
The cast of "The Scargiver" is absolutely stacked — filled with rising stars, legendary names, and some of Zack Snyder's favorite collaborators. Playing the lead character of Kora, we've got Sofia Boutella, who previously portrayed the blade-running Gazelle in "Kingsman: The Secret Service," the villainous Princess Ahmanet in "The Mummy," and undercover agent Delphine Lasalle in "Atomic Blonde." She's joined here by Michiel Huisman ("Game of Thrones," "The Haunting of Hill House"), who stars as Gunnar, the simple farmer who's determined to defend his home.
As for Kora's magnificent soldiers, we've got Djimon Hounsou ("Guardians of the Galaxy," "Shazam!") as the drunken gladiator General Titus and Staz Nair ("Supergirl," "Game of Thrones") as the beefcake barbarian Tarak. Doona Bae ("The Host," "Sense8,") portrays Nemesis, a woman who wields molten swords with mechanical arms, and newcomer E. Duffy plays the nonbinary Milius, who pledges to defend Veldt after their planet was destroyed by the Imperium.
According to "The Scargiver" teaser, it also appears that Ray Fisher (Cyborg in "Zack Snyder's Justice League") will return as Darrian Bloodaxe despite his untimely demise in the first film. Perhaps he'll appear in the form of a flashback, and if we're going to see one Bloodaxe, chances are good we'll see the other — with guerilla leader Devra being played by Cleopatra Coleman ("In the Shadow of the Moon," "The Last Man on Earth").
Who else is appearing in Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver?
Oh, we aren't done with the cast just yet. This movie is absolutely loaded with talented actors, and we want to give them all a space to shine. On the voice-acting side of things, you can expect to hear the vocal talents the legendary Sir Anthony Hopkins ("The Silence of the Lambs," the "Thor" movies) as the knightly robot Jimmy. And after he was resuscitated at the end of "A Child of Fire," Ed Skrein ("Deadpool," "Alita: Battle Angel") will return as Admiral Nobel, the Imperium's sadistic muscle, while Fra Fee ("Hawkeye," "Les Miserables") will portray Regent Balisarius, the Motherworld boss and Kora's adoptive father. You can also expect to see Charlotte Maggi of "Summer Love" as farm girl Sam, who'll definitely be eager to get revenge against the Imperium invaders, as well Cary Elwes of "The Princess Bride" as the murdered king of the Motherworld.
Who is directing Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver?
If you know anything about "Rebel Moon," you know it's coming from Zack Snyder. Whatever your take on the controversial filmmaker, you've got to admit that Snyder has an eye for incredible visuals and knows how to make grand adventure epics.
So what inspired Snyder to make "Rebel Moon?" He's actually been kicking the idea around since the 1980s, when he developed the basic concept at film school. At one point, he pitched the concept to Lucasfilm, hoping to make it as a "Star Wars" movie. When they passed, he considered turning "Rebel Moon" into a miniseries, but eventually, he and the suits at Netflix agreed it would work best as a two-part film. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in July 2021, Snyder elaborated on the work that's gone into "Rebel Moon," saying, "I've spent the last two or three years building out this universe. Every corner has to be painted in. I've been doing designs, constantly drawing and really cultivating its fertile ground to make this world fully realized."
He's also discussed the movies that have influenced his sci-fi saga. "This is me growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a 'Star Wars' fan," he told the publication. "It's my love of sci-fi and a giant adventure." He spoke on the topic a bit more with Vanity Fair, telling the publication, "It's 'The Dirty Dozen,' 'The Wild Bunch,' 'The Magnificent Seven' — anytime there's either a village or a town that is threatened, that needs a gunfighter to come and do the dirty work that the townspeople can't do."
Who is writing Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver?
The two-part "Rebel Moon" is the brainchild of visionary Zack Snyder, but he's not the only creative who's brought the project to life. He developed the story along with Kurt Johnstad, who helped put Snyder on the map with the script for "300," the Gerard Butler vehicle depicting a fantastical Battle of Thermopylae. Johnstad has also worked on projects such as "Atomic Blonde" and "Act of Valor."
There's another player in the mix, with Shay Hatten co-writing the screenplay. Hatten is one of Hollywood's favorite scribes, having properly broken onto the scene with his script for the upcoming "Ballerina," starring Ana de Armas as an assassin in a John Wick world. Hatten has also worked on both "John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum" and "John Wick: Chapter 4," as well as "Army of the Dead" and "Army of Thieves."
Speaking to Collider about the upcoming Netflix movie, Hatten sounds pretty enthusiastic about "Rebel Moon," saying, "I really feel so lucky to get to work with Zack. I tell him this all the time, but '300' was one of the first R-rated movies that I convinced my parents to take me to see in theaters, which I think he hates me saying because it makes me seem super young. But nevertheless, he's been really an inspiration to me for a long time. And I think with 'Rebel Moon,' people will just see that it's him really getting to unleash his visual imagination to the fullest extent. And I think people will really dig it."
Is there a trailer for Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver?
The official trailer for "Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver" is an action extravaganza, kicking off with an "Oldboy"-inspired, side-scrolling hallway fight, where Kora absolutely annihilates every baddie in her way. The battles get even more epic with the appearance of Anthony Hopkins' Jimmy. "Their nightmare is you and I fighting together," Kora tells the robot, and that turns out to be 100% accurate as the battle droid absolutely murders everyone in his path.
We also witness the villagers training for combat, see an armada of Motherworld ships descending upon Veldt, get a little more time with General Titus, and watch the vicious return of Admiral Nobel. However, the key part of the trailer involves Kora making the ultimate decision — should she stay on her adoptive homeworld of Veldt for one last stand, or should she surrender herself to save her friends? We'll find out how the story plays out on April 19, 2024.
What will Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver be rated?
Per Netflix, "Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver" will be rated TV-14, which more or less lines up with the first film's PG-13 rating. Having released in theaters, "A Child of Fire" earned that rating for "sequences of strong violence, sexual assault, bloody images, language, sexual material and partial nudity." So we should more or less expect the same thing the second time around.
However, expect to see darker versions of both these movies. Speaking with Vanity Fair, Zack Snyder has revealed that he'll be releasing more adult edits of both "Rebel Moon" installments — cuts that will be grittier, darker, and bloodier.
"I think for fans of mine and people who are ready to take a deeper, harder dive, that'll be fun for them," Snyder told Vanity Fair. Similarly, re-recording mixer Andy Koyama spoke to /Film about this more mature version, explaining these two later installments of "Rebel Moon" would definitely be rated R. Expect to see this bloodier version sometime in summer 2024.
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Will there be more Rebel Moon adventures?
We've got two versions of "Rebel Moon" on the way, which makes for a total of four movies. In other words, if you enjoy watching the heroic inhabitants of Veldt battle the Imperium and their terrifying forces, then you're going to be happy for quite a while. And it's also looking like creator Zack Snyder has big plans for his outer space drama. As he explained to The Hollywood Reporter, "My hope is that this also becomes a massive IP and a universe that can be built out."
According to Empire, Snyder has a ton of ideas for where this franchise might go. After all, he's working off a 450-page bible, with a history that goes back long before the first movie takes place. The trade also notes that Snyder has discussed making a TV show about Fra Fee's villainous Regent Balisarius, as well as yet another movie that takes place on a world called Vanna. Snyder explained Vanna is the true "rebel moon," so it's evidently pretty important to this universe he's building.
In addition to all that, it looks like Snyder is already working on expanding his sci-fi kingdom with a video game. In March 2023, Snyder told The Nerd Queens podcast he was developing "this RPG that ... is just literally insane and so immersive and so intense and so huge." Snyder went on to say they were making the game "at ridiculous scale" and that we should a expect "a completely realized universe" that's "really going to be fun." In August of that year, it was announced the game was being developed by Super Evil Megacorp, the company behind games like "Vainglory," "Catalyst Black," and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate."
Is Rebel Moon part of a cinematic universe?
While "Rebel Moon" is an original franchise (one that Zack Snyder hopes to expand dramatically in the coming years), fans of his work have technically visited this universe before. Speaking with Total Film in November 2023 (via GamesRadar), the director explained that his 2021 Netflix zombie movie "Army of the Dead" actually takes place in the same continuity as the upcoming sci-fi epic.
"'Army of the Dead' has a pretty vast mythology that never made it into the movie," Snyder said. "There's actually a character from 'Rebel Moon' in the 'Army of the Dead' animated series that we never did." That unreleased series, "Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas," has been in production for some time, but no news has been announced as to its potential release. In the same interview with Total Film, Snyder acknowledged that development had stalled completely. The zombie film was meant to spark its own cinematic universe and did get a prequel film with "Army of Thieves," but other projects have fizzled out. Hopefully, "Rebel Moon" gets a longer runway.
Given the Area 51 elements of "Army of the Dead," you might assume that its "Rebel Moon" connection would involve the zombies' extraterrestrial origin. However, the truth is somewhat stranger. "At one point in the show, they go through a portal into another dimension, and there are characters in that other dimension that they come across," Snyder said. "'In Rebel Moon,' they're in this bar, and one of the aliens is one of the characters from the animatic. So it's definitely a shared universe.'"
Rebel Moon comics, podcasts, and an animated series are in the works
In addition to the upcoming "Rebel Moon" video game, Zack Snyder is exploring several other avenues of expansion for his latest IP. Fans will be able to get a little more insight into the history of the universe with the prequel comic "Rebel Moon: House of the Bloodaxe." Set five years before the events of the film, this miniseries from Titan Comics follows the Bloodaxe siblings, Darrian and Devra, played respectively by Ray Fisher and Cleopatra Coleman in the movies. Magdalene Visaggio wrote the comic, with art from Clark Bint.
In a November 2023 interview with Total Film (via GamesRadar), Snyder confirmed several other big "Rebel Moon" projects in the works. "We're doing a narrative podcast and an animated comic book and an animated series," the director revealed. "They all take place before the events of the movie. So you can start to understand the vastness of the mythology that we've been working on." Presumably, the "animated comic book" in question is different than "House of the Bloodaxe."
The animated series is certainly the biggest "Rebel Moon" spin-off project of the ones currently announced. Hopefully, it won't enter the same limbo as the "Army of the Dead" animated series. "I'm the gatekeeper for what's possible," Snyder told Total Film. "I'm the only one who knows where the whole story is going, and I do have it mapped all the way."