Zack Snyder is headed to another world — and you’re invited along for the ride.
The bombastic auteur’s new movie Rebel Moon takes place in a far-flung corner of the galaxy, where the peaceful moon colony Veldt is being forced to surrender their harvest to the military horde of the tyrannical Mother World. Desperate to protect her adopted home world — and well aware of the ruthless brutality of the Imperium — a mysterious young woman embarks on a high-stakes interstellar mission to gather warriors from around the galaxy who will help deliver them from evil. Inspired by the classic 1954 Akira Kurosawa film Seven Samurai, Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon will be a two-part adventure beyond your wildest dreams, starring a cast of galactic adventurers who are not to be messed with.
And they’ve got quite the fight ahead of them, with a fleet of soldiers traveling in a massive, deadly space cruiser called The King’s Gaze. The ship’s death-dealing commandant is Admiral Atticus Noble, played by Ed Skrein. “When you look at Noble, you see the harshest type of military savageness,” Skrein tells Tudum. “You see a ruthless, cold man who has chosen horror over morality for the directness of it.
The hardscrabble crew of Rebel Moon. From left to right: Nemesis (Doona Bae), Darrian Bloodaxe (Ray Fisher), Tarak (Staz Nair), Gunnar (Michiel Huisman), Kora (Sofia Boutella), Kai (Charlie Hunnam), Milius (E. Duffy) and General Titus (Djimon Hounsou).
A Scribe, one of the priests of the Mother World’s religion; they use human beings’ bodies to record information.
The film hits Netflix this December 22.
Ed Skrein
Who he plays: Admiral Atticus Noble, a nefarious Imperium enforcer
What to know: Skrein recorded two EPs and an album as a rapper before pivoting to acting.
Where you’ve seen him: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, Deadpool, If Beale Street Could Talk, The Transporter: Refueled, Midway, Alita: Battle Angel
Sofia Boutella
Who she plays: Kora, an Imperium deserter who leaves the peaceful Veldt to fight back
What to know: Boutella is a former dancer who has channelled her background into grueling, physical fight scenes.
Where you’ve seen her: Atomic Blonde, Climax, Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Mummy, Star Trek Beyond
Charlie Hunnam
Who he plays: Kai, a mercenary pilot whose Tawau-Class freighter will prove invaluable to Kora’s quest
What to know: Hunnam starred as Jax Teller on FX’s Sons of Anarchy from 2008 to 2014.
Where you’ve seen him: Pacific Rim, King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Children of Men, Crimson Peak, The Lost City of Z, The Gentlemen
Michiel Huisman
Who he plays: Gunnar, a Veldt farmer who knows little of the galaxy outside of his small, quiet corner of the galaxy
What to know: Huisman played Daenerys Targaryen’s squeeze Daario Naharis on Game of Thrones — a role he inherited from Rebel Moon co-star Ed Skrein.
Where you’ve seen him: World War Z, Wild, The Invitation, The Age of Adaline, The Haunting of Hill House, The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society
Djimon Hounsou
Who he plays: General Titus, a hardened gladiator who once served the Imperium
What to know: Hounsou has been nominated for the Academy Award for best supporting actor twice; once for In America and once for Blood Diamond.
Where you’ve seen him: Amistad, Furious 7, Shazam!, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Legend of Tarzan, Constantine, A Quiet Place Part II
Staz Nair
Who he plays: Tarak, a noble indentured servant who shares a bond with a flying creature called a Bennu
What to know: Nair played original character William Dey in the CW’s Supergirl.
Where you’ve seen him: Game of Thrones, The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let’s Do the Time Warp Again, Krypton, Humans
Doona Bae
Who she plays: Nemesis, a cyborg sword master whose mechanical hands allow her to wield molten-metal weapons
What to know: The South Korean actor started out her career as a model before being cast in a lead role in Bong Joon Ho’s debut film Barking Dogs Never Bite.
Where you’ve seen her: Cloud Atlas, Sense8, Jupiter Ascending, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, The Host, Broker
Ray Fisher
Who he plays: Darrian Bloodaxe, an insurgent who has been harrying the Imperium with guerilla attacks
What to know: Rebel Moon sees Fisher reteaming with Snyder, who directed him in his first major film role as Cyborg in Justice League.
Where you’ve seen him: True Detective, Women of the Movement, the upcoming The Piano Lesson
E. Duffy
Who they play: Milius, a refugee who seeks justice for their home — a colony that has already fallen to the Mother World
What to know: This is Duffy’s first feature film.
Anthony Hopkins
Who he plays: “Jimmy,” an ancient robot knight that once defended a slain king but has now faded into a more peaceful existence
What to know: Hopkins is a two-time Academy Award winner, for his towering performances in The Silence of the Lambs and The Father.
Where you’ve seen him: The Elephant Man, The Remains of the Day, Nixon, Amistad, The Two Popes, Westworld, The Mask of Zorro, Howards End, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Thor