Rebel Moon director’s cut is “visceral and ambitious”

Rebel Moon: Part One: A Child of Fire is only the beginning – and we’re not just talking about the story, as Zack Snyder has already prepared a “visceral” R-rated director’s cut.

Snyder’s diehard fans are united by a common belief: his ‘Ultimate’ cuts reign supreme above any theatrical release, whether it’s Batman v Superman, Watchmen, or the most notable example of all, Justice League, with the initial version bastardized beyond recognition.

The latter project is the most significant chapter in the director’s career, for better or worse: it illustrated the fervent passion his work evokes on either side of the spectrum (as Ray Fisher said, true art should divide) but this cart-before-the-horse notion of audiences always being fed the inferior film has rubbed his critics the wrong way, particularly on Rebel Moon.

Netflix, in an obvious bid to recreate Snyder Cut fever, gave him the green light to produce two versions of the movie: the one that’s just dropped on the streamer is a toned-down, shorter PG-13 edit, while the director’s cut will be an hour longer and way more violent.

Rebel Moon cast tease Zack Snyder’s “deeper” R-rated director’s cut

In an interview with Dexerto, the cast of Rebel Moon spoke about their excitement for the director’s cut to be unleashed – and teased what they could for what fans can look forward to.

Sofia Boutella, who plays the new movie’s lead heroine Kora, believes it’ll offer “well-rounded context” on the events of the first chapter, and “more depths into each character that you get to meet.”

“I think the extra length that’s in there allows you to just really immerse yourself even deeper with the story and the circumstances. I love the pace so much of the extended version. You can recognize Zack’s mind and heart in the pace and attention to details… I saw it and I felt like I was just looking at a painting.”

Rebel Moon director’s cut is brutal and “visceral”

Without divulging any spoilers, one fight featuring Boutella’s rebel leader is especially crunching, even with a softer age rating. “After seeing the rated R [version of that scene], I remember feeling that it was so violent – and I couldn’t put my finger on why. I didn’t feel like I saw much more blood than in the PG-13 cut. I don’t know if it’s the editing or the sound, but it’s so visceral and ambitious,” she said.

Only Boutella has seen the director’s cut, but her co-stars are eager to dive back into the Motherworld. “While we don’t know what it looks like, I think we have a little bit of an idea of what it feels like,” Staz Nair said.

“It is a deeper dive into Zack’s lore. It’s a deeper dive into these characters individually, how they intersect, how they got there, and the inner workings of them trying to, form a team to stand up against the enemies.”

Michiel Guisman noted that the pace is “up, always” in Netflix’s first version, but the director’s cut will give viewers a chance to “dive into a bit more backstory.” Ray Fisher, reuniting with Snyder after their DC collaborations, also stressed that “the action in the director’s cut is going to be R-rated as well, so those fight sequences will be much more intense.”

Crucially, for the loyalists out there frothing at the mouth for another Snyder Cut, he promised that it’ll have “all the things that you love about his director’s cuts of everything else you’ve seen.”

Rebel Moon is on Netflix now. There’s no release date for the director’s cut, but it’ll come to Netflix sometime in 2024. You can check out our other interview with the cast here.