Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon getting huge change for Director’s Cut re-releases

Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon duology is finally getting its promised Director’s Cut re-releases, but in an unexpected twist, both movies are also getting renamed.

The Netflix-exclusive Rebel Moon Director’s Cuts were finally revealed today, but both films will have brand new sub-titles. Part One: A Child of Fire has been renamed to Chapter One: Chalice of Blood, while Part Two: The Scargiver is now Chapter Two: Curse of Forgiveness.

Snyder offered no explanation for the name change in either his tweet announcing the movies or the press release announcing them. Snyder has been making the rounds to hype up the re-releases for some time now, promising fans they would be full of “over the top” sex and violence.

Most fans don’t even seem to have registered the name change. Snyder’s X/Twitter account has been flooded with replies, with most fans excited to finally see what they consider the “real versions” of the movies.

Others, however, are seemingly tired of the perpetual Director’s Cut gimmick that has been attached to Snyder after the media blitz of Zack Snyder’s Justice League and the years-long campaign that led to its creation.

“Just a suggestion, maybe cut it how you want it the first time,” one fan commented as a suggestion. “You’re giving the impression that none of your films are worth watching until a ‘directors cut’ is released.”

“When will this Snyder cut BS end. Most overrated director ever,” another wrote.

“Stop this dude. Either make the movie you want to make, or just stop making films,” said another user. “I thought you were a producer, do you just never have control of your own damn projects? Enough.”

But that fan backlash could be genuinely unwarranted, as Snyder stated in a 2023 Associated Press interview that Netflix requested the Rebel Moon Director’s Cuts before filming even began. And that fact could also explain why the Rebel Moon Director’s Cuts are renamed: they’re meant to be different releases entirely.

In the interview, Snyder called the director’s cut more akin to “an alternative reality version” rather than an extended cut because he filmed them simultaneously rather than making them as a response to external influences, as he did with Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

“All of my director’s cuts existed as a response to things that were demanded of me to take out of the theatrical cut,” Snyder told AP. “With this, that demand was never really made, there was just this anticipation that we knew there would be a PG-13 movie.”

“By the way, it was Netflix’s idea. They’re like, well, what if we said do whatever you want over here? Do the PG-13 version and then go nuts? We don’t care.”

The gambit didn’t seem to help too much. Critics slammed Rebel Moon, with the original cut of Part Two debuting to Snyder’s lowest Rotten Tomatoes score ever.

Rebel Moon Chapter One: Chalice of Blood and Chapter Two: Curse of Forgiveness both hit Netflix on August 2, 2024. If six hours of Rebel Moon aren’t enough for you, then check out all the other new movies on streaming this month.