Director Zack Snyder's next film, Rebel Moon, has added several more cast members to its already stacked roaster. Netflix has also confirmed that the galaxy-spanning science-fiction epic will be split into two parts.
According to the synopsis from Netflix, Rebel Moon is "set in a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy that finds itself threatened by the armies of the tyrannical Regent Balisarius." They dispatch a young woman - played by Sofia Boutella - with a mysterious past to seek out warriors from neighboring planets to help them make a stand. Along with Boutella, the film is also set to star Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Doona Bae, Ray Fisher, Rupert Friend, and Stuart Martin.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, actors Corey Stoll and Cary Elwes have now joined the cast along with Michiel Huisman and Alfonso Herrera. Elwes will reportedly play the king of the galactic empire, while the other new cast members' roles are undisclosed at the moment. Elwes is the veteran actor known for his roles in The Princess Bride, as well as the immensely popular Netflix series Stranger Things. Stoll is currently one of the stars of the Showtime drama series Billions, and he is also known for his recent supporting film roles in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story and as a young Uncle Junior in The Sopranos' prequel film, The Many Saints of Newark.
Huisman recently starred opposite actress Kaley Cuoco on the HBO Max series The Flight Attendant. The Dutch-born actor is also known for his leading role in the Netflix horror series The Haunting of Hill House, as well as fan-favorite series Orphan Black and Game of Thrones. Herrera is known for his roles in two different Netflix series. He starred in the Wachowski sisters' short-lived psychological thriller, Sense8, and he currently plays cartel bad guy Javi on season 4 of Ozark.
Along with the casting announcements, Netflix has confirmed that Rebel Moon will be split into two parts with the potential to branch off into spinoffs. This will be Snyder's second project with Netflix, the first being the 2020 Zombie-heist-action movie Army Of The Dead. Snyder also co-wrote the script for Rebel Moon, which was originally intended to be a Star Wars spinoff project and is said to be heavily inspired by the films of Akira Kurosawa. As a director, Snyder is known for his lengthy films. Zack Snyder's Justice League boasted a whopping four-hour runtime, and many of his previous films have surpassed the two-hour mark, including Watchmen, Man of Steel, and Batman v Superman. After his creative fallout with Warner Bros. over the Snyder Cut, Netflix seems to be willing to give Snyder more creative freedom.
The streaming giant has unexpectedly become the go-to place for filmmakers to pursue their passion projects. Netflix previously released Martin Scorsese's three-and-a-half-hour mob-epic, The Irishman, as well as Spike Lee's Vietnam War drama Da 5 Bloods. The streaming service also released last year's academy-award-winning film The Power of The Dog, which was director Jane Campion's first film in over a decade, earning her the Oscar for Best Director.
Rebel Moon is scheduled to begin production later this month and is expected to last until November.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter