There aren’t many filmmakers in Hollywood who possess a backing as vociferous and dedicated as that of Zack Snyder, even if he tends to split opinion among the general public. Having spent years demanding that his original vision for Justice League be completed and unleashed onto the world, what are the campaigners going to do now that Rebel Moon has been confirmed for not one, but two Snyder Cuts?
Netflix’s ambitious space opera is gearing up to drop its first half in December, with Vanity Fair getting the inside scoop on the filmmaker’s latest streaming exclusive following Army of the Dead. Even though there isn’t much to be found in the way of bulletproof parental controls on the platform, Snyder is still releasing two editions of the former Star Wars spin-off.
One will be more palatable to a general audience, while the other will feature much more in the way of blood and guts. It seems a touch unnecessary on paper, but he explained why he believed it was the right call.
“I think for fans of mine and people who are ready to take a deeper, harder dive, that’ll be fun for them,” which is basically an admission that he and Netflix have sought to weaponize his online popularity to ensure that Rebel Moon theoretically gets double the viewership figures, which is a very smart idea considering the harder-edged version will arrive after the original and not at the same time.
Let’s just hope that both can stand on their own two feet, because Snyder can be excessive and indulgent at the best of times, never mind when it comes to a pair of different edits offering separate insights into the same movie.