Zack Snyder drew over 3,000 storyboards for Rebel Moon. Since exiting the DC Universe, Snyder returned to his Dawn of the Dead roots with another zombie movie, Army of the Dead, which was released on Netflix. Snyder's next project will continue his creative partnership with the streaming service. Originally conceived as a Star Wars movie, Rebel Moon is an original space opera written by Snyder, Shay Hatten, and Kurt Johnstad that follows a brave young woman who assembles a team of warriors to resist a tyrannical regent named Balisarius.
During a recent appearance on the sci-fi project Rebel Moon. During pre-production, the director says he drew over 3,000 storyboards for the original space opera. Read what he shared below:
I drew for the current movie, a little over 3,000 frames and wrote it with Shea and Kurt.
Why Snyder's Movies Look Cinematic
While Snyder's movies, especially his DCEU entries, are frequently criticized for their overall substance, meaning, and mixed messaging, no one can deny his films have a distinct cinematic style defined by a sense of grandeur and operatic scope. Snyder is especially proficient at directing action and quite infamously uses slow motion and speed ramping during fight scenes. Perhaps the best example of this technique is the minute-long take from 300 in which King Leonidas slaughters his enemies with a spear, the camera constantly zooming in and out to emphasize each kill.
Before filming, Synder's distinct visual style is planned out through the storyboarding process. For his comic book adaptations, including Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Justice League, the comic book s themselves act as storyboards. In fact, with 300 and Watchmen especially, Snyder translated many of the comic's illustrations directly to the screen. For his original films, Sucker Punch and Army of the Dead, Snyder did most of his own storyboarding, a tradition he is continuing on Rebel Moon.
Other than Snyder's distinct visual style, his movie's star-studded casts go a long way in helping them feel cinematic. Rebel Moon's ensemble features the likes of Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Ray Fisher, Djimon Hounsou, Jena Malone, Corey Stoll, Ed Skrein, Cleopatra Coleman, Fra Fee, Cary Elwes, and Anthony Hopkins. Long before Rebel Moon's release date, which is still unannounced, Rebel Moon Part 2 is already scheduled to be shot back-to-back. This is likely why Snyder drew thousands of storyboards, as they were probably for both films, rather than just the first Rebel Moon. Nevertheless, it will be interesting the see how Snyder's distinct visual style translates to a space opera.
Source: Preston & Steve Show/YouTube
