Rebel Moon : the « terrifying » experience of Algerian Sofia Boutella
Zack Snyder’s new science fiction film, « Rebel Moon ». bears a striking resemblance to the « Star Wars » saga, which is not surprising: it was initially conceived as such.
Glowing swords, supernatural creatures, spaceships, and battle scenes in a distant galaxy all converge towards George Lucas’ legendary saga.
However, when Zack Snyder presented his idea to Lucasfilm about a decade ago, it was rejected. The director of « 300 » and « Watchmen » then decided to create his own mythological universe.
« When it became clear that it wasn’t going to work, my wife and producing partner Deborah said, ‘This is the best news you could ever have,' » recalls Zack Snyder.
He then embarked on an « exhausting and very long » creative process but « incredibly rewarding because it gives you the opportunity to deconstruct the icons and clichés of science fiction that we are used to. »
The result could be the most daring work of a career as popular as it is controversial, including a remake of George Romero’s classic « Dawn of the Dead » and reimagining globally recognized superheroes like Superman and Batman in films such as « Man of Steel » and « Justice League. »
The first installment of « Rebel Moon, » a $160 million gamble titled « Rebel Moon – Part 1: Child of Fire, » will be released on Netflix on December 22, with the second installment scheduled for April.
The film follows Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious stranger whose spaceship crashes at the edge of the universe. She finds herself defending villagers who have taken her in and forms an unlikely duo with a farmer.
Kora assembles an army of fighters to protect them, ranging from insurgents to an arrogant mercenary.
While some characters may seem familiar, the actors insist that they do not belong to any known universe.
« I don’t think anyone said the words Star and Wars on set, » says Ed Skrein, who plays the villainous Admiral Atticus Noble. « We never talked about it. »
For the film, Zack Snyder crafted detailed backstories for each character, every planet, and even the spacecraft. Three languages, cultures, and belief systems were also created for the film’s universe.
« From the beginning, we understood that Zack had a whole world and universe he wanted to create and had been working on for decades, » said actor Michiel Huisman. « It’s Zack’s new world. »
