Rebel Moon is a sci-fi epic from Netflix and director Zack Snyder. Following the success of his previous Netflix movie, Army of the Dead, Zack Snyder has transported us to a far-flung corner of the galaxy for a new adventure that's now available to stream.
Originally pitched as a possible Star Wars movie over a decade ago (as a more adult take on George Lucas' world), Rebel Moon is now its own franchise. Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire — the first of two Rebel Moon movies — introduced us to the peaceful moon colony of Veldt. Life on this farming moon is quiet... until the ruthless Admiral Noble starts stirring up trouble at the behest of the Imperium's ruler, Balisarius.
To combat the threat, Kora, a lone wolf set off on a quest across the galaxy, seeking out a group of warriors to take the fight back to their tyrannical oppressors. The first chapter is already available, and Rebel Moon: Part Two - The Scargiver will wrap the story up in 2024.
Here's everything you need to know about Rebel Moon.
Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire release date and how to watch
Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire is now available to stream on Netflix.
The movie got a limited theatrical release on Friday, December 15 before dropping exclusively on Netflix on December 21 at 10 pm ET in the US and Friday, December 22 elsewhere in the world.
A director's cut is due to arrive in 2024 and is reportedly going to contain another hour's worth of footage, per Snyder's comments to Express.co.uk.
If you get caught up in the drama, you won't have long to wait to see how the story plays out, either, as Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver starts streaming on April 19, 2024.
Rebel Moon plot
Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire centers on Kora, a stranger with a hidden past who is taken in by the farming community on Veldt, a peaceful moon at the edge of the universe.
The community soon comes to depend on Kora for their survival. Motherworld's tyrannical ruler, Regent Balisarius, and his right-hand man Admiral Noble discover the farmers have been supplying crops to the Bloodaxes, a brother-and-sister duo who have been harrying the Imperium in a constant series of guerrilla-style assaults.
To protect her new home, Kora (and tenderhearted Veldt farmer, Gunnar) set off in search of the Bloodaxes and ended up assembling a group of fearless fighters who would put their lives on the line to defend this small world. But will each of these newfound allies learn to trust one another before the armies of Motherworld destroy them all?
Netflix noted in multiple Tudum articles that the film is inspired by Akira Kurosawa's classic movie, Seven Samurai.
Rebel Moon - Part One : A Child of Fire cast
It takes a lot of stars to populate a galaxy, and Rebel Moon boasts a huge ensemble of big-name stars. Sofia Boutella leads the cast as Kora, an Imperium deserter who has been hiding out on the moon of Veldt, and is dispatched to gather troops to help resist the oppressors.
On her quest, Kora will cross paths with Kai, a mercenary spaceship pilot played by Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy), Michiel Huisman's (Game of Thrones) Gunnar, a farmer from Veldt who knows little of life off-world, and General Titus (Djimon Hounsou, Gran Turismo), a hardened gladiator who once worked for the Imperium.
The villain of the piece is Admiral Atticus Noble, an Imperium enforcer played by Ed Skrein (Deadpool). Noble is the commandant of a fleet of fighters travelling in a massive space cruiser called The King's Gaze. Skrein told Tudum that his character is "a ruthless, cold man who has chosen horror over morality... he has cast morality aside in the name of ambition".
Sir Anthony Hopkins is also on hand as the voice of Jimmy, an ancient robot knight who leads a peaceful existence after defending a slain king in the past.
The film also features Doona Bae, Ray Fisher, Cary Elwes, Corey Stoll, Jena Malone, Fra Fee, Cleopatra Coleman, Alfonso Herrera, Stuart Martin, Staz Nair, Sky Yang, Rhian Rees, E. Duffy, and Charlotte Maggi. You can find out more information about their characters in our Rebel Moon cast guide.
Is there a Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire trailer?
The full trailer for Snyder's new sci-fi universe arrived in November. In it, Admiral Noble quickly makes his presence known on Veldt with a violent display that shocks the community... prompting Kora to try and inspire them to rise up. Cue her epic quest to track down some capable allies to fight back. Check it out below:
Our first proper Rebel Moon teaser arrived in autumn 2023, and it does a great job of showcasing the sheer scale of Snyder's new project in all its glory. Check it out below:
Netflix has also released a behind-the-scenes look at Rebel Moon, showcasing some of the impressive sets and the cast in costume. You'll hear from several members of the cast and Snyder himself, all hyping up the scale and ambition of the film. Oh, and then there's a short clip of some spaceships descending on a farming colony at the end as an extra treat.
We've also seen a brief bit of footage in a sizzle reel that Netflix released showcasing all of its big-ticket movies releasing in 2023, which included a brief glimpse at Rebel Moon.
Will there be a director's cut of Rebel Moon?
In a word, yes. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Zack Snyder revealed that he'll be releasing multiple cuts of Rebel Moon for fans to look forward to.
"The first version of Rebel Moon to hit screens will be a fantasy adventure that anyone can enjoy and watch", he said. "The later cut will be strictly for adults. I think for fans of mine and people who are ready to take a deeper, harder dive, that'll be fun for them."
Zack's wife and longtime producing partner, Deborah Snyder, went on to explain that the film was split into two parts after Rebel Moon was looking like it would be a three-hour movie.
"Stuber [Scott Stuber, Netflix film chairman] 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?", she said.
