Zack Snyder is at that point in his career where anything with his name attached to it is a fairly big deal. His next project is Netflix’s Rebel Moon, which is basically his own Star Wars (which he’s been fairly open about cribbing from) and is already guaranteed two release in two parts. Naturally, and if things go according to plan, Snyder doesn’t plan on ending things there.
Talking to Empire Magazine, Snyder said he’d already begun sketching out ideas for a larger franchise to come out of all this. Should he get his way, and and assuming he doesn’t put this material into a third film, he already has an idea for a spinoff. He told the outlet about his desire to dig into the history of the first film’s central villain—Fra Fee’s Balisarius, who rules the Imperium (the evil galactic empire) with a TV show. It all depends on what gets brought to part two (if not a third film), and he was upfront about how much leeway Netflix has given him, saying that they once asked “How big could it be? How many movies? That made me go, ‘Okay, if we really do this, we can sink our teeth pretty deep into this. We can’t really hit the bottom.’”
While Rebel Moon won’t be out for another couple of months, this isn’t too surprising to hear. Netflix is very much interested in the franchise game—see The Witcher, Knives Out, and whatever that Stranger Things spinoff ends up being—and has previously let Snyder do his own thing. 2021’s Army of the Dead was later followed up with Army of Thieves that same year, and a sequel (Planet of the Dead) and anime series (Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas) are both in the works. If there does end up being more Rebel Moon to go along with that, it’ll be interesting to see how long Snyder stays attached to those two series, and Netflix, before eventually passing the reigns off to someone else so he can pursue another project that interests him.
Rebel Moon: Part One will premiere December 22 on Netflix, with a limited theatrical run to come days prior. The streamer will then release Rebel Moon: Part Two in 2024.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.