Zack Snyder Tells Us His Rebel Moon Director’s Cuts Were ‘NC-17 For Quite A While,’ But Explains Why He Trimmed Them To Fit The R Rating

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As a hardcore gamer and longtime fan of Zack Snyder‘s cinematic universe, I can’t help but feel both excited and frustrated by this latest announcement regarding the “Snyder Cut” of Rebel Moon. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for getting more content from one of my favorite directors, but it seems like we’re in a never-ending loop of different versions of the same story.

Are you prepared for discussing the extended version of Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon films? Let’s dive back into this epic saga again! Earlier in the year, Zack Snyder released two parts of a science-fiction series called Rebel Moon on Netflix. This production was influenced by Kurosawa and Star Wars (which also drew inspiration from Kurosawa), as it portrayed the struggle of the agricultural planet Veldt against The Imperium’s dominance by hiring mercenaries. Before Rebel Moon hit Netflix, Snyder had already announced that he prepared Director’s Cuts for both films. These extended versions will now be accessible to subscribers starting August 2 on Netflix. However, Snyder has also stated that he further trimmed the Director’s Cuts – for a specific purpose.

As a dedicated fan, I’m thrilled about Zack Snyder’s agreement with Netflix, which allows him to bring us two versions of the Rebel Moon tale. The first, a PG-13 version that might appeal more broadly in the market. But what truly excites me is the director’s cut, a representation of Snyder’s full vision for this epic story. This version would be more adult-oriented, featuring increased violence and sensuality, while also delving deeper into several characters, unfortunately underdeveloped in the theatrical release – although I must admit, I’m getting ahead of myself.

In an early part of “Rebel Moon: Part One,” director Snyder was dissecting a brutal confrontation between Admiral Noble (Ed Skrein) and Aris (Sky Yang). In this scene, Noble coerces Aris to commit a wicked deed as proof of his loyalty to the Motherworld. During our conversation about editing this scene, Snyder shared with us:

1. To obtain an R rating for the Ed Skrein sequence, some modifications were necessary. Initially, it held an NC-17 classification, and we had to reduce the intensity of violence, such as fewer blows to the head and less graphic depiction of brains being removed. However, I discussed with Netflix about the possibility of keeping the NC-17 rating, but they insisted on an R version. They wanted the film to have an R rating, and I agreed since I had promised them as much. When asked if they were okay with the NC-17 version, Netflix replied that they weren’t, as I had already committed to delivering an R-rated cut. Debbie [Snyder] then reminded me of my promise for an R-rated version, and I confirmed, ‘A deal’s a deal.’

Why are studios and streaming platforms so keen on editing Zack Snyder’s work? Let him have creative freedom! When he presents his Director’s Cut, the result is invariably an exceptional telling of the story. For instance, the four-hour Director’s Cut of “Justice League” and the Ultimate Edition of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” are testament to this fact. I’m not entirely clear on why a streaming platform would worry about ratings in this context. However, according to Snyder himself, Netflix expressed a preference for a more commercially viable version of the “Rebel Moon” narrative during their discussions.

During our discussions, it was suggested that making some adjustments to keep the film’s rating at PG-13 and runtime around two hours could potentially attract a larger audience. Based on their market analysis, they believed this would make the movie more appealing. I agreed, recognizing that such changes would be part of the deal-making process. Originally, I had written an R-rated script. Therefore, we came up with the plan to produce director’s cuts alongside the PG-13 version. However, my preference remains for the longer, R-rated movie that I envisioned and will ultimately be released.

If Zack Snyder is successful with “Rebel Moon” and attracts a large audience, there’s a possibility that a third film in the series will be produced for Netflix. Simultaneously, he’s managing other projects within his Army of the Dead universe, as well as working on other teased projects. Stay tuned for more updates on Snyder’s plans when our full conversation with him is released on ReelBlend.

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2024-07-30 20:07