Following his time in the DC Extended Universe helming Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and his version of Justice League (not to be confused with Joss Whedon’s theatrical version), Zack Snyder made the jump to Netflix, first directing the zombie heist movie Army of the Dead for the platform. In addition to helping craft the prequel Army of Thieves, Snyder will helm the direct sequel Planet of the Dead, but the filmmaker isn’t just delivering tales involving the undead to Netflix subscribers. He also has a sci-fi epic out called Rebel Moon.
Originally envisioned as a Star Wars movie that Zack Snyder pitched to Lucasfilm prior to the company being purchased by Disney, Rebel Moon sees a peaceful colony at the edge of the galaxy called Veldt being threatened by the armies of the tyrannical Regent Balisarius, leader of the Mother World. In response, the colony’s citizens task a young woman with a mysterious past to recruit warriors from nearby planets to help them take a stand against Balisarius and his forces. Among the things we know about Rebel Moon is that the tale, which Snyder co-wrote with Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad, has been split into two movies shot back-to-back.
An impressive collection of actors has been assembled for this story, including Sons of Anarchy’s Charlie Hunnam and Justice League’s Ray Fisher. But before we get to them, let’s talk about who’s playing the main protagonist.
Sofia Boutella
The enigmatic woman in Rebel Moon who’s seeking warriors to help protect Veldt, her adopted homeworld, is named Kora, and she's a deserter of the Imperium. Kora will be played by Sofia Boutella, who made a big splash in the mid-2010s starring in blockbusters like Kingsman: The Secret Service, Star Trek Beyond, The Mummy and Atomic Blonde. In more recent years, Boutella has appeared in Prisoners of the Ghostland, Settlers, SAS Rogue Heroes and the “The Viewing” episode of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, which also streams on Netflix. Since Kora is Rebel Moon’s main protagonist, it goes without saying she didn't die, so we'll see more of her in Rebel Moon Part 2.
Charlie Hunnam
As indicated earlier, Charlie Hunnam collected a lot of fans from his time playing Jax Teller in the FX series Sons of Anarchy, and he jumped back into the TV realm in 2022 to lead Shantaram, which can be streamed with an Apple TV+ subscription. Film-wise, Hunnam’s credits include Children of Men, Pacific Rim, Crimson Peak, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Triple Frontier and The Gentlemen. The actor appears in Rebel Moon as Kai, a mercenary who pilots the Tawau-Class freighter, which is "invaluable" to Kora's quest, although there proves to be more to him than meets the eye.
Ray Fisher
It’s not exaggerating to say that Zack Snyder launched Ray Fisher’s film career, as the actor’s first cinematic credit was cameoing in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as Victor Stone, a.k.a. Cyborg. Fisher then made his full debut as Cyborg in Justice League, and in addition to Zack Snyder’s Justice League showing off his original performance as the cybernetic superhero, the actor also came back to shoot new footage for the four-hour cut. Fisher had been set to reprise Cyborg in The Flash, but he was written out after he refused to work on any project involving then-DC Films president Walter Hamada. Post-DCEU, Fisher has starred in True Detective Season 3 and the ABC limited series Women of the Movement, and he's since re-teamed with Snyder on Rebel Moon, where he's played Darrian Bloodaxe, an insurgent who's been targeting the Imperium with guerilla attacks.
Ed Skrein
The powerful Regent Balisarius is the source of conflict in Rebel Moon’s story, and Ed Skrein will appear as his right-hand man, Admiral Atticus Noble, a nefarious Imperium enforcer and commandant of the space cruiser called The King's Gaze. Skrein is no stranger to playing villains, as evidenced by his work in Deadpool and Alita: Battle Angel. You may also recognize him from If Beale Street Could Talk, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Midway and Naked Singularity, as well as being the first Daario Naharis on Game of Thrones. As revealed in Rebel Moon's surprise ending, Skrein will be back for Rebel Moon Part 2 despite initial appearances to the contrary.
Djimon Hounsou
Although Rebel Moon marks the first time that Djimon Hounsou and Zack Snyder have worked together, like Ray Fisher, Hounsou has some DCEU experience under his belt from playing The Wizard in Shazam!, Black Adam and the upcoming Shazam! Fury of the Gods, as well as voicing King Ricou in Aquaman. Hounsou also lent his talents to the MCU as Korath in Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel, and his other notable credits include Amistad, Gladiator, Blood Diamond, Constantine, Furious 7, A Quiet Place Part II and The King’s Man. In Rebel Moon, Hounsou plays General Titus; we got an intense portrait of the actor in character in May 2022, and it was later revealed that Titus is a "hardened gladiator" who once served the Imperium.
Anthony Hopkins
While we don't see Anthony Hopkins in Rebel Moon, we will hear him as the voice of Jimmy, “an impossibly sentient JC1435 mechanized battle robot and one-time defender of the slain King.” (Dustin Ceithamer physically portrays Jimmy.) Kora met Jimmy during her time on Veldt, where the robot surprisingly came to her aid during a tense conflict, then disappeared to parts unknown. Rebel Moon's extended cut will flesh out the character's backstory. Along with this movie, Hopkins’ recent credits include Thor: Ragnarok, The Father, The Son, Armageddon Time and HBO’s Westworld.
Jena Malone
Rebel Moon marks Jena Malone’s third collaboration with Zack Snyder, having previously played Rocket in Sucker Punch and Jenet Klyburn in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’s “Ultimate Edition.” Malone is also well known for playing Johanna Mason in the latter three Hunger Games movies, Hope Harlingen in Inherent Vice and Sage Ross in Nocturnal Animals. Along with Rebel Moon, where she plays a spider warrior named Harmada who's terrorizing the mining village of Daggus, Malone is part of the ensemble cast for Kevin Costner’s Western saga Horizon.
Cary Elwes
Although Cary Elwes is still arguably best known for starring as Westley/DreadPirate Roberts in The Princess Bride and Dr. Lawrence Gordon in the Saw movies, the man’s popped up in a fair amount of high-profile projects over the last several years. Stranger Things fans will remember him as Mayor Larry Kline in Season 3, he had a stint on the Amazon Prime Video as Gavin Hawk in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, he starred as Professor Gelson in the Black Christmas remake and also was paired with Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning. Elwes plays the Imperium king who was assassinated, allowing Balisarius to declare himself regent.
Corey Stoll
Superhero genre fans will recognize Corey Stoll as Darren Cross, a.k.a. Yellowjacket, in Ant-Man, and in 2021, he played supporting roles in The Many Saints of Newark and West Side Story. TV viewers, on the other hand, may have seen Stoll in shows like House of Cards, The Strain, Girls and Billions. Either way, Rebel Moon is the actor’s second time working on a Netflix project, having previously recurred in the first season of the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest prequel Ratched. In Rebel Moon, he plays Sindri, a village chief on Veldt.
Cleopatra Coleman
After kicking off her acting career appearing in various Australian movies and TV shows, Cleopatra Coleman gained popularity stateside starring with Will Forte in The Last Man on Earth. Following that show’s conclusion, Coleman led the short-lived TV series White Famous with Jamie Foxx, appeared in the Netflix movie In the Shadow of the Moon and recurred in five episodes of Hulu’s Dopesick, among other projects. Rebel Moon is arguably her most blockbuster-y project yet; she plays Devra, Darrian Bloodaxe's sister who has similar powers as him and is recruited at the same time to Kora's cause.
Fra Fee
Although it was initially reported that Skrein was playing Regent Balisarius in Rebel Moon, it was later clarified that Fra Free was playing that character instead, making him the story's overarching antagonist since he's the one giving orders to Admiral Atticus Noble. In addition to boast a large number of impressive theatre credits, film fans might recognize Free for playing Courfeyrac in 2012’s Les Misérables or Hench in Amazon’s Cinderella, which came out in 2019. If you’re a Marvel Cinematic Universe fan though, you’ll certainly recognize him as Kazi from Disney+’s Hawkeye series.
Stuart Martin
Although Rebel Moon is the first time Stuart Martin has been directed by Zack Snyder in a live-action, he is already affiliated with a franchise tied to the filmmaker. That’s because he appeared as Brad Cage, a.k.a. Alexis Broschini, in the previously-mentioned Army of Thieves, which was directed by its lead actor, Matthias Schweighöfer. Martin also starred in the entirety of the Jamestown series and has been playing Detective Inspector William Wellington in Miss Scarlet and The Duke. Additionally, Martin is voicing a role in Snyder’s upcoming animated series Twilight of the Gods. Martin stars in Rebel Moon as Den, a farmer/hunter on Veldt.
Michiel Huisman
Remember when I said that Ed Skrein was the first actor to play Daario Naharis in Game of Thrones: Well here’s a twist: the second Daario is appearing in Rebel Moon too! Aside from the HBO series, Michiel Huisman’s major TV credits include Treme, Nashville, Orphan Black, The Haunting of Hill House and The Flight Attendant Season 1. Moviegoers might remember him from the likes of World War Z, The Age of Adaline and Kate. Huisman has been cast in Rebel Moon as Gunnar, a farmer on Veldt who "knows little of the galaxy outside of his small, quiet corner of the galaxy," but agrees to accompany Kora on her mission.
Doona Bae
While the majority of Doona Bae's professional endeavors come from her home country of South Korea, as far as her English-speaking work goes, the actress has notably collaborated with The Wachowskis twice, on Cloud Atlas (playing multiple roles) and the Netflix series Sense8. Bae appears in Rebel Moon as Nemesis, "a cyborg sword master whose mechanical hands allow her to wield molten-metal weapons," so expect her to pose trouble for Kora and her allies.
Staz Nair
Yet another Game of Thrones veteran has been looped into Rebel Moon, with Staz Nair having recurred in Seasons 6-8 as Qhono. However, Nair is arguably better known for playing CatCo reporter William Dey in Supergirl’s final two seasons. Rebel Moon is Nair’s second time performing in a feature-length film, and he does so as Tarak, a "noble indentured servant" who shares a special bond with a flying creature known as a Bennu.
Alfonso Herrera
Although most of Alfonso Herrera’s work is in Spanish-language projects, but he has starred in a number of high-profile offerings from the United States. You may know him as Hernando Fuentes from Sense8, Father Tomas Ortega from the short-lived Exorcist TV series, Javier Jimenez in Queen of the South or Javi Elizondro from Ozark. Herrera also voiced Krypto the Superdog for the Latin American version of DC League of Super-Pets, but it’s safe to say that Rebel Moon is his biggest movie yet. He takes part in this sci-fi epic as Cassius, a warrior working for Atticus Noble.
E. Duffy
E. Duffy is a relative newcomer to the acting scene, with their prior credits being the short films Jeanne Alone, Sleepyhead, Lucky Me, Girlfriends and Acid Noir. Rebel Moon is their first time acting in a feature-length film; they playing Milius, a refugee who seeks justice for her home, which fell to Mother World, and does so by joining Darrian and Devra's resistance group.
Charlotte Maggi
Charlotte Maggi also has one of the lighter resumes of the Rebel Moon cast members, having previously appeared in the TV shows MaveriX and Summer Love. Maggi is reportedly playing a character named Sam, a farm girl on Veldt who befriends Jimmy and ends up being the catalyst for Kora to gather warriors to help her protect her community.
Sky Yang
Aside from a minor role in 2018’s Tomb Raider, most of you have likely seen Sky Yang either in the Irish TV series Holding or playing Ruben in two episodes of Paramount+’s Halo series. In Rebel Moon, he plays Aris, a Motherworld soldier who stands up to his comrades' brutality against Sam.
Rhian Rees
Next, we have Rhian Rees, who played Emma in five episodes of the short-lived series Disengaged and has also popped up in the likes of Halloween (the 2018 version), The Send-Off, Nope and the upcoming Damian Chazelle movie Babylon. She briefly appears in Rebel Moon as The Queen, i.e. the late wife to Cary Elwes' King.
Ray Porter
Though Ray Porter has been professionally acting for over 30 years, he gained a lot of fans from Zack Snyder’s camp when he was cast to play Darkseid in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, a role he obviously would have reprised had those Justice League sequels moved forward. For Rebel Moon, he played Hickman, a cruel farmer whom Tarak owed a debt. Porter’s other superhero media experience includes playing Brutus on the short-lived TV series Naomi and voicing additional characters on Teen Titans, and he’s also appeared on shows like Medium, Monk, Justified, Sons of Anarchy, Shameless and Modern Family.
Ingvar Sigurdsson
While the majority of Ingvar Sigurdsson’s credits hail from his native Iceland, the actor has accumulated some appearance in Hollywood productions, including K-19: The Widowmaker, Everest, Justice League (both versions), Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and The Northman. In Rebel Moon, Sigurdsson plays Hagen, a friend of Kora’s, and it's looking like he'll be back for Part 2.
The first half of Rebel Moon, titled A Child of Fire, hit Netflix on December 22, and the second half, titled The Scargiver, will follow on April 19, 2024. Keep your eyes on CinemaBlend for more news about the follow-up movie and other additions to the franchise.
