After what seems a long wait, Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon arrives this Christmas — Part One that is
We’ve been talking about Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon since way back in July 2021. In that time the science fiction epic has become two films, both already in the can. The good news is we finally get to see Rebel Moon Part One this year — titled A Child of Fire, the film arrives on Netflix December 21 (US time, it’s the 22nd in Europe — something to watch while you wait for the Solstice?)
With that in mind, what do you need to know before you watch? Netflix has produced extensive guides on a dedicated page, but we’ve saved you the time and grabbed what you need to know.
What is Rebel Moon about?
The hero is Kora (Sofia Boutella), a lone-wolf soldier who’s found community and connection on the quiet farming moon of Veldt. She’s a long way away from her former life fighting for the Imperium, the brutal interstellar royal empire bent on controlling the galaxy. But Kora’s violent past is dredged up when sadistic admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein) comes to Veldt via a Dreadnought-class battle cruiser and stirs up deadly trouble on the orders of the Imperium’s tyrannical regent, Balisarius (Fra Fee).
Expect a lot of comparison to Star Wars, perhaps with more than a touch of Seven Samurai / The Magnificent Seven. Of course we’ll know more later this month.
Who is in Rebel Moon?
The recent Netflix Geeked Week had plenty to say on the film, with this introduction to the main cast / characters. There’s also some striking character posters, such as:
When it becomes clear that Noble’s demands on Veldt spell death for the peaceful colony there, Kora starts off on a quest to recruit freedom fighters to her cause. Along the way, Kora teams up with a scrappy group of warriors including Veldt farmer Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), knightly robot Jimmy (voiced by Anthony Hopkins), mercenary Kai (Charlie Hunnam), ex-Imperium general Titus (Djimon Hounsou), former nobleman Tarak (Staz Nair), cyborg sword-wielder Nemesis (Doona Bae), refugee Milius (E. Duffy), and the insurgent siblings Darrian (Ray Fisher) and Devra Bloodaxe (Cleopatra Coleman).
If that’s not a recipe for holiday season escapism, we don’t know what is!
When is it released?
Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire, will get a special early release on Netflix on Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET. If like us you don’t convert Pacific Time to GMT without the help of the internet, that is 3 am on the 22nd here in the UK, and with the Winter Solstice at 03:27, this looks ideal for all the Druids wrapped up warm at Stonehenge (assuming good bandwidth amidst the sacred stones).
The sequel, Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver will follow very soon after, streaming on Netflix on April 19, 2024.