Rumor: Netflix Scraps ‘Rebel Moon’ Sequels, Zack Snyder’s Star Fading?

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Sofia Boutella in Rebel Moon - Part One (2023), Netflix

Zack Snyder has slowly been losing his touch, and he might be losing his luster along with it. The working relationship with Netflix that started with gusto going into Army of the Dead is crashing and burning like a starship slamming to the ground on a desert planet.

Kate (Ella Purnell) watches on as the team encounters the Alpha Queen (Athena Perample) in Army of the Dead (2021), Netflix
Kate (Ella Purnell) watches on as the team encounters the Alpha Queen (Athena Perample) in Army of the Dead (2021), Netflix

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Plans for more in the Rebel Moon series are no more as the streaming studio has canceled the sequels to the first two installments. This isn’t a surprise given their abysmal reception with critics and audiences.

The update comes from Rebel Moon writer Kurt Johnstad, who said on the I MINUTEMEN podcast that it will take “luck and an act of God” to get the next ones made. Should they move forward, Johnstad and Snyder apparently have a lot in mind for the future of the series.

“We outlined movies 3, 4, 5, and 6… very detailed outlines, and Zack has literally plotted out the whole world. We know where we can go… we’ve written… detailed outlines…The second movie was to find the princess. And the third movie is to make sure that the princess is where she should be — sitting on the throne and properly ruling… over the Mother World,” explained Johnstad. “With some luck and an act of God, we’ll get to go back to that world.”

Snyder made Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire and Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver, plus two director’s cuts. Each performed worse than the last, testing the patience of critics, especially. Scargiver stands at 16 percent on Rotten Tomatoes with critics. Fans were more receptive, but still rate the film aggregately at 47 percent. Most complaints are against the length, pacing, unoriginality, and illogical character actions/motivations.

Snyder has been known for throwing everything at the screen (in super slow motion) after he’s drawn and filmed hours worth of material he can cut down to a reasonable length. For him, that’s about four hours. Sometimes, that pays off for him. His extended cut of Watchmen, the Ultimate Edition of Batman v Superman, and his Justice League have their adorers.

Aris (Sky Yang) prepares for a fight in Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver (2024), Netflix
Aris (Sky Yang) prepares for a fight in Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver (2024), Netflix

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He cultivated a reputation with these films, but the freedom Netflix offered him turned out to be a mistake that exposed his weaknesses. Snyder is still working on a police procedural and a character-driven drama about a UFC fighter for them. However, there is no sign he will get another shot at a sprawling big-budget action saga.

Netflix also discontinued follow-ups and spinoffs to Snyder’s Army of the Dead, including an anime prequel series and further adventures of the Army of Thieves. It’s true that a third Rebel Moon is still listed as “in development,” but that doesn’t mean it is inevitable.

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Superman (Henry Cavill) is horrified by Lex Luthor’s (Jesse Eisenberg) Doomsday weapon in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Warner Bros. Pictures

If the honeymoon with Netflix is over, Snyder has shown he is cool with DC Studios and James Gunn, so maybe he can go back there; just don’t count on a return of the Snyderverse despite the need for selling it being off the table.

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Writer, journalist, comic reader, and Kaiju fan that covers all things DC and Godzilla. Been part of fandome since ... More about JB Augustine
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