In the new issue of Total Film, which hits shelves this week, director Zack Snyder reveals that his upcoming action slash space adventure Rebel Moon shares a universe with his Netflix zombie film series.
“Army of the Dead has a pretty vast mythology that never made it into the movie.” says the Justice League director, “There’s actually a character from Rebel Moon in the Army of the Dead animated series that we never did.”
Snyder’s Army of the Dead series started in 2021 with the Army of the Dead movie, starring Guardians of the Galaxy’s Dave Bautista and Yellowjackets’ Ella Purnell in a post-apocalyptic and zombie-ridden Las Vegas, a few months later the sequel Army of Thieves was released. The animated series that Snyder mentions, titled Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas, was supposed to hit Netflix straight after the first two movies but was never completed.
The unfinished series is what contains the Rebel Moon crossovers. “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,” Snyder explains, “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.”
Set in a galaxy far away, Rebel Moon starring The Gentlemen’s Charlie Hunnam and The Mummy’s Sofia Boutella, follows a young woman with a mysterious past who must build an army to fight back against the tyrannical forces who are threatening her home and community.
Later in the interview, Snyder confirmed that much work on Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas has already been completed, he says, “We did all the scripts and the animatics, and all the voices are recorded. So you could watch it, even in its crazy animatic form – you can watch the whole run.” The series was to be an anime-inspired show chronicling the early days of the undead outbreak.
Rebel Moon Part 1 lands on Netflix on December 22nd, 2023. Rebel Moon Part 2 will follow soon after, streaming on Netflix on April 19th, 2024. Snyder’s Army of the Dead and Army of Thieves are both available to stream on Netflix right now.
For much more on Rebel Moon and Zack Snyder, pick up a copy of the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves on November 9. Check out the covers below:
Pre-order the issue here to bag your copy, or click here to subscribe to Total Film and never miss another exclusive. With our latest offer, you can get a JOBY Magnetic Wireless Charger worth £29.95 when you take out a print subscription.
