'Rebel Moon' Star Will Defend the Zack Snyder Film 'Forever'

By Andrew Sanford | Film | March 5, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Film | March 5, 2024 |

Zack Snyder is one of the most polarizing directors working. There are some people who (very loudly) defend his films like they are the only ones in existence. Others act like he’s the worst thing to happen to cinema since Tommy Wiseau. I don’t think either take is accurate, but I’ve made it clear here that I love his DCEU work and have my own biases. It can be easier to defend something when you are close to it, especially if you put “heart, tears, and sweat,” into it, like Rebel Moon star Sofia Boutella recently told Vulture’s Roxana Hadadi.

Boutella recently spoke to the outlet about the overwhelmingly negative reception to Rebel Moon. Despite claiming that people enjoyed her performance, that didn’t make seeing the negative reviews easier. “I always thought that I was fully armed to take on those punches, and then I read the critics that came down on Rebel Moon and it really affected me,” the actress told Variety. Boutella said, “If there is no more ‘Rebel Moon,’ it will be a very important part of my life that I will defend forever.”

This is not the first time we’ve seen an actor publicly go to bat for their work with Snyder. Ben Affleck had kind things to say about the director and his process last year. Michael Shannon took a similar tone when discussing the filmmaker. Emily Browning once said she would “mop the floor” for Snyder. It is also worth noting that, like Boutella, all three actors I just mentioned appeared in Snyder films that were not well-received by critics.

Regarding the future of Rebel Moon, we know there will, at least, be a second film. The first two were filmed back-to-back. We also know there will be director’s cuts of both films, which will be about three hours each. Past that, things are less certain. Netflix put a lot of stock into this venture, hoping to build out the world(s) in the vein of Star Wars. Whether or not they go through with that after the underwhelming debut is anyone’s guess.

I don’t know if Zack Snyder will ever make a film everyone likes again (I’m looking at you, Dawn of The Dead). I also don’t know if he’d want to. The further along in his career he goes, the more Zack Snyder he becomes. But that also means he’ll keep casting actors he likes to work with and who like to work with him.

Source: Vulture