Zack Snyder’s Update on His Netflix Sci-Fi Franchise Will Leave Fans Disappointed

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“I got sidetracked into this — not sidetracked, it’s all uptown problems, as they say — for Netflix, I’m working on an LAPD SWAT movie,” Snyder said. “So I was like, OK, well, I’m gonna just sort of let that Rebel Moon world boil for a minute, and I’m gonna go do this. And frankly, it was a very exhausting, long process doing the two movies together. So it was nice to have a bit of a break from it. I love it like crazy, but it’s nice to have a bit of a break. So yeah, we’ll see after I finish this, when I come back, where we are with everything. There’s tons of stories. So, I mean, I think it’s literally, it’s endless. But, again, like I say, I’m waiting to see how we want to and in what way we would move forward, if at all.”

After spending years in the DC Extended Universe, Snyder worked in the original sandbox of Rebel Moon for a while. The first film, Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire, was released on Netflix in 2023. A sequel, Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver followed a year later. Both installments also received R-rated director cuts that debuted in August 2024. The original versions of both films were widely panned; the R-rated cuts received better reviews, but neither was a critical darling. Rebel Moon – Chapter Two: Curse of Forgiveness has the franchise’s highest Rotten Tomatoes score at 67%.

Though the Rebel Moon property is continuing with the video game Blood Line: A Rebel Moon Game and a prequel comic about the character Nemesis, the future of the films is unclear. While several more installments have been outlined, Snyder’s co-writer Kurt Johnstad claimed it would take “some luck and an act of God” to get another movie off the ground. When The Scargiver debuted, it saw lower viewership than its predecessor, casting doubt on the franchise’s future.

Even if the two Rebel Moon films were more positively received, Snyder would likely want to take a break from the franchise before diving into a third installment. As massive sci-fi movies, those projects were sizable undertakings, and scaling things back with an LAPD thriller sounds like a nice palate cleanser for the director. He can make a more straightforward, back-to-basics action movie before brainstorming what’s next for the world of Rebel Moon. However, it’s notable that Snyder is not treating Rebel Moon 3 as if it’s a sure thing. His use of “if at all” in his comments indicates there’s a chance the series doesn’t continue. As those conversations unfold, it might be determined that it isn’t worth the investment.

The Rebel Moon films received limited theatrical releases before hitting Netflix shortly after, so these were not traditional commercial plays aiming for high box office figures. Still, the combination of poor critical reception and diminished viewership is not ideal, and Netflix could have little incentive to sign off on a third movie unless there’s a groundswell of support for some kind of continuation. Snyder has benefitted from online fan campaigns before with the movement to release Zack Snyder’s Justice League, but that was a very different situation. His DCEU films were obviously based on some of pop culture’s most beloved characters, and there was a genuine passion to see the director realize his vision for those titans. There doesn’t appear to be as much enthusiasm for Rebel Moon, so it’ll be interesting to see how the series unfolds from here.