Warner Bros Regretfully Passed on Zack Snyder’s EPIC Rebel Moon Pitch Repeatedly

Summary

Snyder first conceived of Rebel Moon in college and would try multiple times to get Warner Bros. interested to no avail.

Snyder had previously pitched the movie to Lucasfilm as a Star Wars addition, but they showed no interest.

If Rebel Moon had been a Warner Bros. film, it would have had the advantage of a theatrical release, which would have matched its vast scale and scope. However, Netflix has provided Snyder with ample creative freedom, making it the most suitable platform for the film.

Director Zack Snyder recently disclosed that Warner Bros. rejected his pitch for Rebel Moon multiple times before the movie found a home at Netflix. Following the success of Army of the Dead, Snyder's collaboration with Netflix continues with two new grand space opera films. Rebel Moon, which was initially a failed Star Wars pitch, revolves around Kora, a mysterious woman played by Sofia Boutella, as she leads a peaceful farming colony in a struggle against a cruel dictator.

In anticipation of Rebel Moon's upcoming release later this year, Screen Rant had the opportunity to visit the set of Snyder's forthcoming sci-fi spectacle. During the visit, Snyder shared that it wasn't just Lucasfilm that turned down the project. He revealed that Rebel Moon originally started as a pitch during his film school days and later made its way to Warner Bros. Take a look at Snyder's complete statement below.

Would Rebel Moon Have Been Better At Warner Bros?

In college, I once proposed to my professor the idea of a space version of Dirty Dozen or an ensemble movie inspired by Seven Samurai. Surprisingly, he found my pitch quite interesting and asked for more details. As it was a class where pitching movie ideas was encouraged, I was thrilled by his response. We even attempted to sell this concept as both a video game and a movie to Warner Brothers on multiple occasions. However, their reaction was rather lukewarm, with a simple "oh" being their only feedback.

If Rebel Moon were to become a Warner Bros. movie, its biggest advantage would be the opportunity to have a theatrical release. Ever since the highly-anticipated trailer premiered at Gamescom, people on social media have been clamoring for Netflix to give Rebel Moon the grandiose treatment it deserves with a theatrical release. However, the chances of this happening are slim, and even if it did, it would likely only last for a week or so. Netflix has been firm in its stance against releasing movies in theaters.

If Rebel Moon had been a Warner Bros. movie, it would not have been split into two parts and would have followed a different release strategy. Instead, Rebel Moon: The Scargiver will be released on the streaming platform just a few months after the first installment. Warner Bros. usually releases the first part in theaters and then waits for its performance before deciding on a sequel.

Interestingly, there will also be extended R-rated versions of both Rebel Moon movies released shortly after the initial releases. This is something that would not typically occur at Warner Bros. The budgets for the two Rebel Moon movies, at around $83 million each, are not very large considering the subject matter. If handled by Warner Bros., the budget might have been higher due to traditional studios' tendency to make big-budget event films. Nonetheless, Snyder's strong working relationship with Netflix, along with the creative freedom they have given him, suggests that Rebel Moon has found the right home.