Zack Snyder, whose 'The Last Photograph' still has no US distribution, doesn't sound so confident about 'Rebel Moon 3' ever happening, or that there's truly any demand for it.
In an interview with The Direct, Snyder, who just a year ago was very confident that 'Rebel Moon 3' would happen, is more hesitant than ever. He admits that the existing 'Rebel Moon' movies would need to gather significant support for a third movie to become a reality:
I don't know. I made the director's cuts of the movies, and I just think it's like one of those things where… and I do feel that as those maybe get a little bit more popular and sort of like get discovered and there's a little bit more groundswell about maybe making another one.
He knows the franchise is dead. ‘Rebel Moon 3’ isn't in the works and likely never will be, and the films aren't going to get a second look or a sudden revival on Netflix either. The movies just aren't good enough to ever earn a reappraisal.
Snyder's terrible 2024 began with the release of four 'Rebel Moon' movies, including two director's cuts, all within eight months of each other, and that destroyed his stock at Netflix. The movies were universally disliked.
It was fun while it lasted. It was fun watching Snyder believe, based on his own dubious math, that 'Rebel Moon – Part One' made more of a cultural dent than Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie,' which grossed $1.4 billion worldwide at the box office.
'Part One' bombed hard with critics; the most recent tally has it at 20% on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviews for the second chapter were even worse, at 15%. As if that weren't enough, Snyder told Radio Times that, despite the lukewarm audience reception, he hoped to make as many as six ‘Rebel Moon’ movies. That dream has now been shattered.
Even worse, Snyder's relationship with Netflix film chief Dan Lin has soured. Lin, apparently unimpressed by both "Rebel Moon" and the relentless social-media frenzy surrounding Snyder, rejected Snyder's $100 million LAPD movie, which was supposed to be his next film.
Snyder and Netflix entered into a two-year first-look film deal in July 2021. Under this partnership, Snyder made several projects, including "Army of the Dead," "Twilight of the Gods," and "Rebel Moon" Parts 1 and 2. That might be where it ends.
Who's "they," exactly? The Illuminati? The Deep State? Hard to say. The film premiered at Italy's Matera Film Festival on November 10. No reviews have trickled in yet.