Zack Snyder’s worldbuilding for Rebel Moon has gone to another level: a series, a podcast, and an 800-year timeline
Nov. 3, 2023Exclusive: The Rebel Moon director talks to Total Film about plans for his extended universe on Netflix
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Zack Snyderhas taken his worldbuilding to another level for new movie Rebel Moon.
The spacefaring fantasy epic, split into two parts on Netflix, will now consist of an animated series, an animated comic book, and a narrative podcast - all set prior to the events of the film.
“I’m the gatekeeper for what’s possible. I’m the only one who knows where the whole story is going, and I do have it mapped all the way,” Snyder chuckles during an interview in thenew issue of Total Film, which hits shelves next week.
“We’re doing a narrative podcast, and an animated comic book, and an animated series. They all take place before the events of the movie. So you can start to understand the vastness of the mythology that we’ve been working on.”
That’s only the start. As co-writer Kurt Johnstad explains, the Rebel Moon feature itself is the tip of the iceberg.
“The world is very, very detailed and fleshed out,” Johnstad says. “There’s hundreds and hundreds of pages of documents of methodology and mythology and lore. The timeline goes back 800 years, from our movies.”
That even extends to a 12ft whiteboard in the writers' room, featuring the Rebel Moon timeline in all its glory: “There’s a ruler with inches underneath that whiteboard,” says Johnstad. “And the two movies are literally two or three inches of that entire 12-foot span.”
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I’m the Deputy Editor at Total Film magazine, overseeing the features section of every issue where you can read exclusive, in-depth interviews and see first-look images from the biggest films. I was previously the News Editor at sci-fi, fantasy and horror movie bible SFX. You’ll find my name on news, reviews, and features covering every type of movie, from the latest French arthouse release to the biggest Hollywood blockbuster. My work has also featured in Official PlayStation Magazine and Edge.
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