Netflix’s track record of creating its own original franchises is hit-and-miss, at least on the movie side. While the streamer’s had success with original television series like Stranger Things and Squid Game, its movies tend to either hook viewers or be little more than background noise while you fold laundry or doom scroll on your phone. Simply put: for every KPop Demon Hunters, there’s a Red Notice. Add in Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos‘ strange remarks about the theatrical experience, and the fact that most Netflix movies pack a massive budget yet feel entirely forgettable, and it’s hard to get subscribers to fully pay attention.
Science fiction fans looking for something off the beaten path actually have a Netflix series that might appeal to them in the form of the Rebel Moon movies. Helmed by Zack Snyder, the Rebel Moon duology takes place in a universe that is ruled by the oppressive Motherworld and its Imperium, which has conquered every planet in its path. On the small moon of Veldt, a mysterious girl named Kora (Sofia Boutella) goes on a journey to find warriors who will stand against the Motherworld, all the while reckoning with her past. What follows is a mix of Snyder’s usual over-the-top visuals mixed with a collection of familiar tropes.
‘Rebel Moon’ Originally Started Life as a ‘Star Wars’ Spin-Off
Image via Netflix
If you watch the trailers for Rebel Moon and come away thinking that it’s a lot like Star Wars, your instincts are correct. Zack Snyder originally pitched the idea as a Star Wars spinoff prior to Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm, which was turned down. After his production company, The Stone Quarry, signed a major deal with Netflix, Snyder saw this as an opportunity to retool his pitch into an original movie. As a result, some elements feel very Star Wars-esque in nature: in lieu of droids, there are robot warriors named “Jimmys”, while sword master Nemesis (Doona Bae) wields red-hot blades resembling lightsabers. Snyder’s signature filmmaking is still present in the amount of violence and slow-motion shots, and they only increased with the director’s cuts.
That’s right: Rebel Moon has its own directors’ cuts, and they are longer and bloodier than the original versions. Unlike Snyder’s other director’s cuts, these were baked into the filmmaking process from the start. Snyder unpacked this decision in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, saying that he worked closely with Netflix to create the PG-13 version of Rebel Moon that would appeal to all audiences while the R-rated directors’ cut was more in line with his “Snyder Cut” of Justice League.
Netflix was apparently so supportive of Snyder’s work thatthey went the extra mile to promote Rebel Moon,granting the series a limited theatrical releasein 70mm IMAX and even developing supplementary materialsincluding a podcastandcomic book series. Despite this push,Rebel Moon was met with a mixed reception, as some admired the way Snyder swung for the fences while others felt it ripped off better sci-fi movies. Recently,Rebel Moon has surged back onto Netflix’s global charts in certain countries, showing that the movies carry some appeal to audiences.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
Zack Snyder Is Reuniting With A Pair of ‘Rebel Moon’ Alums
The future of Rebel Moon is up in the air, as co-writer Kurt Johnstad implied that Netflix wasn’t opting to move forward with the franchise. However, two of its stars are working with Zack Snyder on a new project. Snyder recently completed production on The Last Photograph, a war drama he’d been developing since the 2000’s that focuses on ex-DEA operative Ethan Black and a war photographer embarking on a mission to find Black’s missing niece. The Last Photograph stars Stuart Martin and Fra Free, who both appeared in Rebel Moon. Free had nothing but praise for Snyder, saying that it was a pleasure to be working with him and Johnstad again:
“So yeah, it sort of becomes just like you’re working with your mates. We really were…Kurt, too, wrote the script, and he’s one of Zach’s best mates, and the US crew that came over, which is maybe a team of 10, they were just all Zack’s buddies and collaborators. It was just such a good, good experience.”
Snyder has also hinted that he may return to the world of Rebel Moonfollowing another project he’s developing for Netflix. If history is any indication, he could definitely pull it off and maybe hook a new collection of fans in the process.
