Zack Snyder has been keeping busy on Netflix following his departure from the DC Extended Universe (excluding his brief return to put together Zack Snyder’s Justice League). He kicked off his stint with the steamer helming 2021’s Army of the Dead, and co-writing and executive producing the prequel/spinoff Army of Thieves. Now we’re just months away from seeing Snyder’s next Netflix project, Rebel Moon, and word’s come in that the 2023 movie release is headed to theaters, albeit with a twist.
At the time of this writing, Rebel Moon, specifically Part One: A Child of Fire, appears to only be set for a theatrical release in the United Kingdom later this year. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has given the movie a 15 rating, which is roughly equivalent to an R rating in the United States, for “strong violence” and “sexual threat.” Army of Thieves. was also rated 15, while Army of the Dead was rated 18 for “injury detail” and “violence.”
The fact that the BBFC has stamped Rebel Moon with one of its ratings indicates that preparations are being made for the flick to hit the big screen in the United Kingdom, but will the same happen in North America? Unfortunately, it doesn’t look that way. Although Netflix gives its original movies limited theatrical releases, including the most recent entry on that slate, David Fincher’s The Killer, Rebel Moon doesn’t have any theatrical date listed on the Netflix movie schedule. Frankly, given how high-profile of a release this is, I would’ve thought Netflix might have tried giving it a wide theatrical rollout at major theater chains, like what was done with Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
Alas, that doesn’t appear to be in the cards, so evidently only UK audiences will only be able to watch Rebel Moon in theaters, though we’ll obviously let you know if there’s a 180 degree turn and that ends up happening stateside too. It’s also worth mentioning that Zack Snyder previously revealed both parts of Rebel Moon will have R-rated extended cuts, though it’s likely these will only be made available directly to Netflix subscribers.
Taking place in a universe controlled by a corrupt government led by Mother World, Rebel Moon follows a young woman who once served the Imperium, Mother World’s army led by the tyrannical Regent Balisarius, who will recruit warriors to help her defend the moon of Veldt from the Imperium. The Rebel Moon cast includes Sofia Boutella, Dijon Hounsou, Charlie Hunnam, Ray Fisher, Jena Malone and Anthony Hopkins, among many others. In addition to the two Rebel Moon movies, this franchise will also include a prequel comic book series called Rebel Moon: House of the Bloodaxe that begins publishing in January, and there’s also an animated prequel series in the works.
If you’d rather watch the main Rebel Moon saga in the comfort of your own home, Part One: A Child of Fire drops December 22 on Netflix, and Part Two: The Scargiver will follow on April 19, 2024. Be sure to look through the to learn what other features the streamer has coming up. Meanwhile, you can pass the time by looking over the best Netflix movies that can be viewed now.
