2023 will not see the release of a new Rebel Moon is fixing that. Rebel Moon is a ion project of Snyder's that was originally conceived as a Star Wars movie, and later retooled by Snyder into its own standalone universe. Rebel Moon was also filmed back-to-back with Rebel Moon 2 over in a lengthy 2022 shoot, with both Snyder and Netflix expressing enthusiasm of the new sci-fi property's potential for spin-offs and continued stories.
Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon is scheduled to be released on December 22, 2023, and focuses on a young woman named Kora (Sofia Boutella), who assembles a collection of warriors to defend her planet against the conquest of a ruthless warlord known as Regent Balisarius (Ed Skrein). Netflix has also released a few snippets of footage during a reel of its 2023 slate. While a far cry from a proper trailer, the footage makes the Star Wars-beginnings of Rebel Moon easy to see. Moreover, it also shows how Rebel Moon will more than make up for the absence of a Star Wars movie in 2023, in more ways than one.
Star Wars Has Staked A Claim At Christmas
Since the Disney Star Wars era began, the franchise has carved a nice home for itself during the holiday season. With the sole exception of Solo: A Star Wars Story, every Disney Star Wars movie has been released during the month of December. Disney+'s Star Wars shows have also followed suit, with the first two seasons of The Mandalorian running during the holiday season time frame, and others like The Book of Boba Fett and Andor either beginning or ending in November or December.
The cumulative effect of Disney's Star Wars movies and shows is that the Star Wars universe, in modern times, has become increasingly associated with the holiday season timeframe. However, between the COVID-19 pandemic and Disney placing its focus on Star Wars Disney+ shows, the holiday season anticipation for Star Wars in a theatrical setting has been missing for several years. This is where Rebel Moon steps in as a Star Wars remedy of sorts.
Rebel Moon Arrives In December 2023
Rebel Moon's December 22 release date indicates a number of things about it and the franchise it is beginning. The most obvious is that, from the perspective of the streaming giant, Rebel Moon is Netflix's biggest 2023 movie. A December release window also likely indicates that Rebel Moon will be given a theater run of some kind, as was previously the case for Snyder's first Netflix film, Army of the Dead. For Star Wars fans, Rebel Moon will also fill the void left for the absence of Jedi and Sith during the holiday season.
To be sure, Rebel Moon is undoubtedly going to establish its own mythos and universe to not simply be seen as a Star Wars clone and little more. Nonetheless, the Star Wars origins of Snyder's original pitch and the two property's shared space opera genre make Rebel Moon a clear kindred spirit of Star Wars. Releasing Rebel Moon in the period that Disney had previously designated for Star Wars reinforces that Rebel Moon is the perfect Star Wars surrogate, and could even point to Rebel Moon 2 arriving in December 2024.
How Rebel Moon Will Benefit From Its Holiday Season Window
Summer is the time of year most closely associated with blockbusters, but the holiday season is nearly its equal in that regard. Streaming releases obviously benefit during both periods, but the holidays are particularly advantageous with people off from work and school, attending family gatherings, and pulling up streaming movies and shows during both. Rebel Moon, as a completely new sci-fi universe, can capitalize on that as Netflix's major December 2023 release, with what is likely to be a significant marketing push by the platform and Snyder himself.
Additionally, the possibility of a Rebel Moon theater run doubles its potential during the December timeframe, with Netflix maximizing the visibility of Rebel Moon with a theatrical release preceding its streaming debut by a week or so. While the extended, back-to-back shoot hints at Rebel Moon being Zack Snyder's longest movie, the return of a space adventure to both theaters and streaming in the absence of Star Wars is sure to be something the platform capitalizes on. With multiple avenues to market Rebel Moon through, its December 2023 release frame is a perfect launching pad for Snyder's sci-fi epic to become a whole new Star Wars-level universe.
