There’s finally an update on when fans can expect the extended director’s cuts of parts one and two of Rebel Moon. Zack Snyder is one of those directors who is almost synonymous with extended edits, or director’s cuts, of his films. From the vast improvements in the extended cut of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a three-hour edition over the theatrical version, to the years-long campaign to release his complete vision of the Justice League film, it wasn’t really surprising when it was announced that Netflix would also be releasing director’s cuts on both Rebel Moon films. In addition to being longer, both director’s cuts of the films will also be R-rated and more brutal.
Even with Rebel Moon: Part One now out on streaming, details on its extended version are scarce, but we may have an update. The Illuminerdi recently attended a digital press conference with the film’s production VFX supervisor Marcus Taormina, whose work was recently short-listed by the Academy Awards in the Best Visual Effects category. When asked about the schedule they implemented to work on the multiple cuts of both Parts, Taormina said the following:
“We shot 157 days and that was in itself a task. Along the way we tried to shoot in chronological order for both movies, and then towards the end of it, we tackled some additional scenes. But a lot of what the Part One cut is is derivative of the amount of shooting days we had. That’s all I can say right now.
As far as the workload, we tried to do it in chronological order, starting with Part One. I’m currently finishing Part Two, and then we’ll be working on the extended cuts.”
Marcus Taormina, production VFX supervisor
With Part Two scheduled for April 19, 2024, it seems clear that if they haven’t fully started with the visual effects for the extended, R-rated versions, they will be coming out after the shorter, PG-13 version of Part Two is released. What these longer versions of the film include remains unknown, but we can make a few guesses.
What To Expect From the Rebel Moon Director’s Cuts
Zack Snyder has referred to the director cuts of Rebel Moon as an expanded version of the world created in the film. The film now available on Netflix is not held back by key scenes that Snyder decided would work better in another film. However, it doesn’t feel like it paints a complete picture because Part Two comes out in four months, and more time is needed to develop the story.
Similar to how the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings didn’t add much narrative weight, and simply meant spending more time with these characters and this fantasy world, we expect the director’s version of Rebel Moon to build upon what was established so far. Maybe the extended cuts will include a few scenes that make the story more coherent, but at this point, it feels like the biggest difference will be in tone.
In 2023, giving a sci-fi/fantasy film an R rating is mostly a publicity stunt rather than a creative choice. It’s not like the Rebel Moon that we can watch on Netflix now is a four-quadrant family film, and the re-edit will have adult-only scenes in it. As it stands, the film is already pretty brutal as is, and besides including blood and having more explicitly gory fight scenes, it seems doubtful the film will earn its R rating. It feels like a PR move to bill the director’s cut as brand new.
When Will the Rebel Moon Director’s Cuts Come Out?
At this point, though, there’s an interesting question about the release of the extended versions. The momentum behind the first film seems to be high enough to carry Netflix into April with Part Two, and after that is done, those who are still thirsty for more Zack Snyder will likely find something that appeals to them in the extended versions.
RELATED: SCREAM VII Loses Director Christopher Landon in Latest Production Struggle
But that momentum will not be high enough to sustain two more movies. When Part Two becomes available on Netflix, the genie will already be out of the bottle. Therefore, it seems that the best strategy would be to release the extended cuts of both films at the same time, as opposed to making fans wait another two to three months for a longer version of a film they’ve already seen after they just watched the extended edition of its predecessor.
Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire is streaming now on Netflix. Rebel Moon: Part 2 — The Scargiver arrives on the streamer on April 19, 2024.
About Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire
Release date: December 22, 2023 (USA)
Director: Zack Snyder
Screenplay: Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad, and Shay Hatten
Producers: Wesley Coller, Eric Newman, Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder
Cinematography: Zack Snyder
Edited by: Dody Dorn
Music by: Junkie XL
Production: The Stone Quarry, Grand Electric, Netflix
Distributed by: Netflix
Cast: Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Ed Skrein, Charlie Hunnam
Logline: When the ruthless forces of the Motherworld threaten a quiet farming village on a distant moon, a mysterious outsider becomes its best hope for survival.
But what do you think? Should the Rebel Moon extended editions come out after Part Two, and should they come out both at the same time? What did you think of the first film? Would you like Netflix to keep building up this franchise? Remember when we were supposed to have seventeen Army of the Dead spin-off projects? Let us know your thoughts on our social media, and stay tuned for more!
KEEP READING: Zack Snyder Confirms Rebel Moon and Army of the Dead Are In The Same Universe – Here’s How They Connect
