Zack Snyder's "Moon Rebels" was once a "Star Wars" movie: the proposal was rejected for being too adult

According to Empire magazine, renowned director Zack Snyder initially proposed his upcoming "Moon Rebels" movie, which is scheduled to be released at the end of this year, to Disney as a "Star Wars" work, but was rejected due to the returning characters that pre-existed the movie and the possibility of an adult (R) rating. In a new interview, the director revealed that he ultimately preferred to make a standalone story.

In the interview, Zack Snyder reiterated that the original conception of "Moon Rebels" was a "Star Wars" movie, and added: "This is a space version of "Seven Samurai". I know that George (Lucas) was inspired a lot by Kurosawa's movies."

Shortly after Disney acquired Lucasfilm, Snyder approached the studio with his idea. He acknowledged that his proposal came with significant challenges, explaining, "I don't want any of your characters. I don't want to do anything with any of the known characters. I just want to do my own thing on the side." Snyder recognized that his proposal was a "big ask," noting that "the original thought was, 'It should be rated R!' But that was almost impossible."

Disney's movies have always had very strict restrictions, including Marvel and "Star Wars" films, which try to avoid being rated R, or adult, and even the lines are not allowed to contain obscene language.

Therefore, "Moon Rebels" found the streaming platform Netflix. Director Zack shared in the interview: "But as I got deeper, I realized that this might never be what I wanted."

"Moon Rebels" will be a space epic. "Modern Love" actress Sofia Boutella will play the heroine. Other actors include "Child of Chaos" star Charlie Hunnam, Anthony Hopkins and Jena Malone.

The original idea of ​​the film was later expanded into a 172-page draft script, so Snyder and Netflix divided it into two films. The first will be released on December 22 this year. Director Zack Snyder also revealed that he plans to do "Justice League" again: make two versions of the film, one for a wider audience and the other with more mature content for adult audiences.