Rebel Moon Part 2: Netflix movie release date, trailer, cast, plot, and more

Rebel Moon Part 2 will continue to flesh out Zack Snyder’s embryonic multimedia franchise on Netflix later this year. The sequel to Rebel Moon Part 1 was filmed alongside its forebear, so the wait between entries in the epic sci-fi film series won’t be a long one.

With one of 2024’s new Netflix movies set to arrive in April, then, what do we know about Rebel Moon‘s second installment? Below, we’ve rounded up the latest news on the forthcoming Netflix movie, including its confirmed release date, cast details, story synopsis, first trailer, and how it might impact the franchise’s future. In short: you don’t need to go anywhere else for everything on Snyder’s next cinematic venture.

Before you dive headfirst into this article, be sure to read our thoughts on Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire and/or our chat with Snyder and the first movie’s cast on how it shot for the stars in epic space-fantasy fashion. Full spoilers follow for Rebel Moon Part 1.

Rebel Moon Part 2 release date

Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver will make its debut on the world’s best streaming service on Friday, April 19. It’s likely to get a limited run in theaters, too, just like its predecessor did.

Not only that, you’ll be able to watch different cuts of Rebel Moon, with longer, R-rated versions of these movies reportedly set to arrive in late 2024 (per Variety). Clearly, Snyder wants Rebel Moon‘s director’s cut to test your movie runtime limits – and that of the film’s cast as well, with some of that motley crew expressing shock at the length of Rebel Moon‘s director’s cut in a chat with TechRadar.

Rebel Moon trailer

The official teaser trailer for Rebel Moon Part 2 was released in the days after the first film was released – and it teases an incredible-looking war coming to Veldt’s doorstep.

One of the biggest criticisms leveled at Rebel Moon Part 1: A Child of Fire was its lack of action, but it seems The Scargiver will make up for that with plenty of frenetic, fight-for-your-life-style set pieces. It appears we’ll learn more about Kora’s backstory – and that of each member of her assembled ragtag group of warriors, too – in the sequel, which was another significant oversight on Snyder and company’s part in Rebel Moon‘s first installment.

Rebel Moon cast

Here’s the official cast for Rebel Moon Part 2:

• Sofia Boutella as Kora 
• Djimon Hounsou as Titus 
• Ed Skrein as Atticus Noble 
• Michiel Huisman as Gunnar 
• Doona Bae as Nemesis 
• Staz Nair as Tarak 
• E. Duffy as Millius 
• Anthony Hopkins as Jimmy 
• Fra Fee as Balisarius 
• Ray Fisher as Darrian Bloodaxe 
• Cleopatra Coleman as Devra Bloodaxe 
• Cary Elwes as The King
• Rhian Rees as The Queen
• Stella Grace Fitzgerald as Princess Issa
• Charlotte Maggi as Sam
• Sky Yang as Aris
• Alfonso Herrera as Cassius
• Ingvar Sigurðsson as Hagen
• Stuart Martin as Den

Essentially, almost everyone who appeared in Rebel Moon Part 1 will feature in its follow-up. The most curious inclusion of those listed above is Ray Fisher’s Darrian, who died during A Child of Fire‘s climactic showdown with the Motherworld. He’ll likely appear in a flashback sequence, though, as will Elwes, Rhees, and Fitzgerald – the trio being members of Motherworld’s royal family who were assassinated before Balisarius installed himself as the galactic empire’s tyrannical Grand Regent.

One individual who isn’t returning is Charlie Hunnam’s Kai, who betrayed Kora’s group in Rebel Moon Part 1. He was killed by Huisman’s Gunnar, with Snyder telling TechRadar it was “always the plan” to center its big plot twist on Kai ahead of his demise.

There could be new characters who feature in The Scargiver, but Netflix hasn’t revealed who they might be, nor who may play them. We’ll update this section if we learn of any new cast announcements.

Rebel Moon plot synopsis and speculation

Here’s Rebel Moon Part 2‘s plot synopsis, courtesy of Netflix: “The Scargiver continues the epic saga of Kora and the surviving warriors as they prepare to sacrifice everything, fighting alongside the brave people of Veldt, to defend a once peaceful village, a newfound homeland for those who have lost their own in the fight against the Motherworld. 

“On the eve of their battle, the warriors must face the truths of their own pasts, each revealing why they fight. As the full force of the Realm bears down on the burgeoning rebellion, unbreakable bonds are forged, heroes emerge, and legends are made.”

Rebel Moon‘s second entry, then, will primarily focus on Veldt’s last stand against the dictatorial Motherworld, which crushes any planets and civilizations that rebel against its authoritarian regime. Considering it’ll be a true David versus Goliath-like story, we can expect Kora’s plucky band of outcasts to defend their idyllic dwelling in the face of overwhelming odds.

With Rebel Moon Part 1 laying the foundations for all-out war on the fields of Veldt, it shouldn’t take too long for its successor to get into the thick of the action. And it sounds like that’ll be the case, with Rebel Moon’s cast telling TechRadar “it’s going to kick off” in all manner of ways in the “action-heavy” second part. In a chat with Total Film, Ed Skrein (who plays Atticus Noble) also revealed Snyder “wanted the second movie to feel like Dunkirk”, so expect a barnstorming spectacle when it arrives.

But The Scargiver won’t be an uninterrupted two-hour bloodbath. As noted by the cast, Part 2 will also be heavy on the backstory, with the likes of Titus, Tarak, Nemesis, and Kora opening up on their past lives and what’s driving them to protect Veldt at all costs.

On the Kora-led front, we should also learn more about the Imperium’s deceased royal family through flashback sequences. The unnamed King and Queen were war-driven rulers of the galaxy-spanning realm but, as Kora revealed in A Child of Fire, Princess Issa – the King and Queen’s only child, who Kora was the bodyguard of – was expected to usher in a new era that ended the Imperium’s quest to laud it over the galaxy before her death. Hopefully, we’ll find out when and why she was murdered (alongside her parents), who was responsible (if it wasn’t Balisarius, we’ll be amazed), and how it impacted those working for the Imperium, including Kora, Titus, and Jimmy.

Speaking of Jimmy, we’ll see more of the fan-favorite android in Rebel Moon Part 2. He only had a bit-part role to play in A Child of Fire, but we suspect there’s more to this rebellious robot than meets the eye – especially one who’s becoming increasingly independent in spite of his elite soldier programming.

“Jimmy has a much bigger story in those extended cuts and certainly in the second movie,” co-writer Kurt Johnstad told Variety. “It’s a little bit like Jimmy goes from this sentient robot to really becoming a little more human, and he goes a little feral. When everybody is being collected and the team is getting built, he’s running around in the woods being like a feral creature and hunting and sitting by the brook and catching fish and doing Jimmy things out in the woods, so that’s where the crown of antlers comes from.”

Another big mystery surrounds Noble’s return. He was seemingly killed by Kora in Part 1‘s finale, but he was resurrected by the Motherworld’s advanced technology after speaking to Balisarius through some sort of astral realm. How was he brought back to life? Is Balisarius’ consciousness the only part of him that’s still alive on this astral plane, or is this where he lives? And what does Noble’s return and Balisarius’ desire for revenge mean for Kora and company?

“We know that Noble’s alive and Belisarius has given him the task of finding his daughter [Kora] and bringing her back to him at all costs,” Snyder told Entertainment Weekly (EW). “So the stakes have risen for the village from ‘Hey, we want some of your grain’ to now ‘You’re harboring the most wanted fugitive in the history of the galaxy’… We learn something in Part Two about Kora’s ‘crimes’, what she’s wanted for, and why the Imperium is after her.”

Rebel Moon’s future on Netflix

As mentioned, R-rated Snyder Cuts are also in development for Rebel Moon Part 2 and its contemporary.

“The director’s cut is close to an hour of extra content, so I think it’s a legitimate extended universe version,” Snyder told Netflix Tudum. “The director’s [cut] is a settle-in deep dive, which I have notoriously done throughout my career. 

“I don’t know how I got into this director’s cut thing, but what I will say about it is that, for me, the director’s cuts have always been something I had to fight for in the past and nobody wanted it. It was this bastard child that I was always trying to put together because they felt like there was a deeper version. And with Netflix, we shot scenes just for the director’s cut. So in that way, it’s really a revelation because it gives that second kick at the can for big fans, like a real discovery that they would not [otherwise] get.”

So, when will we see the first of these new, much longer editions? In January, Snyder seemingly confirmed a mid-2024 release for Rebel Moon Part 1‘s director’s cut, which will arrive two to four months after The Scargiver‘s PG-13 cut is released.

Those are far from the only projects in the works for Netflix’s burgeoning sci-fi franchise, though. The New York Times has claimed Rebel Moon‘s main story will actually be told across three movies, so it’s possible another entry will be greenlit (if it hasn’t already been secretly) soon.

Speaking to Total Film, Snyder also revealed his ambitions to make an animated series, animated comic book (whatever that is), and a narrative-driven podcast, which will open up the universe to fans of all forms of media. A co-op action video game is coming from Super Evil Megacorp, too, while a prequel comic series starring the Bloodaxes has already been released. More tie-in books, such as the companion tome revealed in this section’s first tweet, are also coming soon. So, if you’re looking to fully immerse yourself in Snyder’s potentially massive multimedia series, you’ve got lots of content to consume between now and, well, whenever Snyder and Netflix run out of ideas.

For more Netflix-based coverage, read our guides on Stranger Things season 5, Arcane season 2, the best Netflix shows, and best Netflix documentaries.