Summary

  • Zack Snyder reveals that his Netflix film, Rebel Moon, shares a universe with his previous release for the streamer, Army of the Dead.
  • Snyder explains that his canceled Army of the Dead animated series would have seen the lead characters go through a portal where the two franchises would directly connect on-screen.
  • While the crossover plans may have since changed, the confirmed Army of the Dead 2 and potential for further Rebel Moon expansion means it's still possible that the shared universe will come into play in the future.

Rebel Moon director Zack Snyder details the shared universe and canceled crossover between his space epic and a previous film franchise. Set to hit Netflix in December, Snyder's film tells the story of a warrior named Kora (Sofia Boutella) who must rally the residents of a peaceful farming colony against a tyrannical galactic ruler. The movie, which is subtitled A Child of Fire, will be the first of a two-part saga, with the potential for more projects to come down the line.

Now, ahead of the Rebel Moon release date, Snyder tells Total Film (via GamesRadar) that his film actually shares a universe with his previous Netflix release, 2021's Army of the Dead. The latter movie was, at one point, set to have an animated spinoff, which would have directly connected the two properties on-screen. Check out Snyder's explanation of the shared universe below:

"Army of the Dead has a pretty vast mythology that never made it into the movie. There’s actually a character from Rebel Moon in the Army of the Dead animated series that we never did.

"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.”

Could Rebel Moon & Army Of The Dead Still Crossover?

Army Of The Dead 2 Makes It Possible

Dave Bautista looking over his shoulder, shocked, in Army of the Dead.

While it sounds like Snyder's plans for a crossover hinged on his Army of the Dead animated series coming to life, there's still a chance that the two properties could crossover on-screen at some point in the future. At the moment, Snyder seemingly remains focused on the Rebel Moon universe, which could get a third film and a TV show if the first two movies are successful, but a sequel to his 2021 zombie movie has already been confirmed.

Army of the Dead and its spinoff, 2021's Army of Thieves, are currently available to stream on Netflix.

After months of no updates, Snyder commented on the status of Army of the Dead 2 earlier this year, affirming to The Nerd Queens that "it’s still alive and well in my mind. I know exactly what I would do." The director shared another update more recently, telling Screen Rant during a Rebel Moon set visit in August that he's still figuring out exactly how to balance the future of the two franchises. Snyder also teased, however, that the Army of the Dead sequel "goes completely nuts" and that the story "gets pretty twisted."

One major Army of the Dead theory posits that Dave Bautista's lead character and his team are actually stuck in a time loop, and exploring this kind of sci-fi element in the sequel would certainly open the door for a Rebel Moon crossover. Plus, while Snyder intended his portal idea to feature in the animated series, he has previously teased that it could make its way into the live-action sequel. With the filmmaker clearly having ambitious plans for both franchises, it doesn't seem like an on-screen crossover is off the table just yet.

Source: Total Film (via GamesRadar)