Summary
Rebel Moondirector Zack Snyder revealed that the new expansive world he’s built based on Geroge Lucas’Star Warsgalaxy has some intersection with hisArmy of the Deadfranchise.
Initially starting as Snyder’s idea for a more matureStar Warsfilm set in the familiar galaxy far, far away,Rebel Moonwould become a standalone project after new Lucasfilm owners Disney declined to take Snyder up on the idea and Warner Bros. passed on it as well. After this, Snyder resolved to make a franchise himself,mirroring the making ofStar Warsand finding a home for the project withNetflix. While the franchise was always destined to live on the streamer, a limited theatrical release has been promised.
WhiletheRebel MoonNetflix film is only the beginningof Snyder’s plans for the franchise, recent comments from the director confirm that his plans extended beyond this one franchise. Speaking toTotal Filmin a recent interview, Snyder revealed a planned crossover betweenRebel MoonandArmy of the Dead,the post-apocalyptic zombie heist film that Snyder released in select theatres in 2021 before it landed on Netflix.“Army of the Dead has a pretty vast mythology that never made it into the movie,” Snyder revealed. “There’s actually a character from Rebel Moon in the Army of the Dead animated series that we never did.” Snyder then provided details on the scene that never was.
At one point in the show, they go through a portal into another dimension, and there are characters in that other dimension that they come across. In Rebel Moon, they’re in this bar, and one of the aliens is one of the characters from the animatic. So it’s definitely a shared universe.
The show in question,Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas,was supposed to be released on Netflix afterArmy of the Deadand the prequel film titledArmy of Thieves. However, it was never finished despite the first film being met with mostly positive reviews and most work on the animated project being done, according to Snyder. “We did all the scripts and the animatics, and all the voices are recorded. So you could watch it, even in its crazy animatic form – you can watch the whole run.” The anime-inspired series would have been a treat for fans of the films and was something anticipated within Snyder’s fanbase in a similar vein to theRebel Moonco-op game he announced.
Falling neatly into the list of reasons whySnyder’sRebel Moonlooks like too much and not enough, it is genuinely perplexing why the two franchises would cross over, as they lack a shared tone, genre, or even narrative beats. While the revelation will likely have a small group of fans frothing at the mouth, the general audience is far more likely to forget the entire thing was mentioned. It’s possible that if Snyder is attempting to gauge interest from his more vocal supporters, this revelation could help get theArmy of the Deadseries back on track.
However, any fans of the franchises in question will have much more significant concerns, such as if the planned sequel filmPlanet of the Deadwill ever actually happenand the impending debut of the firstRebel Moonfilm. How well these more pressing matters will be resolved is still anyone’s guess, but both must work out for the crossover to properly manifest.
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fireis set for limited theatrical release on July 25, 2025, and to joinArmy of the DeadandArmy of Thieveson Netflix on August 02, 2025.
Rebel Moon
When a peaceful settlement on the edge of a distant moon finds itself threatened by the armies of a tyrannical ruling force, a mysterious stranger living among its villagers becomes their best hope for survival.
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