Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon Is Split In Two Because One Movie Was Too Long For Netflix

Zack Snyder is reuniting with Netflix for the space opera "Rebel Moon," and Snyderheads can take comfort knowing we're getting not one but two films. And there's a surprising reason for this: length. In a new profile in Vanity Fair, Snyder's wife and producing partner Deborah Snyder revealed that when Netflix saw how long Snyder's "Rebel Moon" was going to be, they balked. 

According to Deborah Snyder, the script was 172 pages, which caused Netflix film chairman Scott Stuber to say: "On the service, under-two-hour movies really do better for some reason." As Snyder notes, this is somewhat odd, since people binge-watch "a series of eight episodes" of a TV series, but apparently have problems with movies longer than 2 hours. In any case, Zack Snyder was not happy with the idea of cutting the film down to two hours. The filmmaker said: 

"If you ask me to make this less than two hours, I'm going to lose all the character. You won't care about these people. It's a character story about how people can change, and redemption, and what are you willing to fight for ..."

It was at that point that Hastings struck upon the solution: two movies. 

And two cuts, too!

I have to say it's somewhat odd that Netflix thinks movies under two hours do better with viewers. Whenever the streaming service comes up with stuff like this I wonder how accurate it is. But hey, what do I know? We'll just have to take Netflix's word for it. I assume they know what they're talking about over there. 

As for "Rebel Moon," not only are we getting two movies, but we're also getting two different cuts. In the same Vanity Fair article, Zack Snyder dropped the news that one cut of the film will be a film "that anyone can enjoy and watch," while an alternate cut will be aimed at adults. "I think for fans of mine and people who are ready to take a deeper, harder dive, that'll be fun for them," Snyder said.

So there you have it: you can watch one cut of "Rebel Moon" with the whole fam, and then when it gets late and everyone goes to bed you can fire up the naughty R-rated version. Don't worry, I'll keep your secret. 

"Rebel Moon" is a sci-fi epic with a stacked cast that includes Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Ray Fisher, Doona Bae, Djimon Hounsou, Jena Malone, Corey Stoll, Ed Skrein, Cleopatra Coleman, Fra Fee, Cary Elwes, and Anthony Hopkins. Look for the flick on December 22, 2023.