Elsewhere in The Atlantic interview, Zack Snyder mentioned what he thinks audiences are looking for, saying, “The holy grail is some original IP that you create, that has resonance and is cool.” It makes sense that this is his viewpoint given his latest venture, “Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire.” Many reviews, including the one from Looper’s own Alistair Ryder, point out the obvious influences “Star Wars” had on “Rebel Moon,” but it is an original story all the same. And it’s one Snyder and Netflix have gone all in on, with the second installment subtitled “The Scargiver” coming out on April 19, 2024.
It’s the director’s second attempt post-DC to launch a new franchise, with “Army of the Dead” back in 2021 meant to kickstart a new series of films. And Snyder insists “Army of the Dead 2” is still on the way. For the time being, it appears Snyder doesn’t want to play in other people’s sandboxes. He wants to launch the next great franchise, with “Rebel Moon” ripe for additional sequels and spin-offs.
As for now, Snyder seems done with superhero movies, going so far as to say, “I’m not knocking on James Gunn’s door, going, like, ‘Bro, shoot me one of those sweet movies.'” It’s likely the best sentiment for all involved. If Gunn wants to get people invested in DC movies again, they need to move beyond what was done in the past. As for Snyder, he seems to be one of the few filmmakers today who can launch a non-IP movie on the scale of “Rebel Moon,” and there’s definitely value in having him pursue original ideas for now.
