Rebel Moon Star Ed Skrein Shares Details For R-Rated Snyder Cut: 'It's Hardcore'
Actor Ed Skrein is teasing a whole new experience for fans of Zack Snyder's "Rebel Moon" when the writer-director gets around to releasing the R-rated version of the PG-13 Netflix film. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Skrein teased that Snyder's R-rated edition is an entirely different animal. "You're going to see something f***ing new in that R-rated cut, and we've never seen anything like it," Skrein said. "We've seen Lars von Trier push cinema to the edges. We've seen 'Saw' and 'Hostel' and all those kinds of movies push violence quite far for a commercial entity."
"Rebel Moon: Part One — A Child of Fire" introduces us to Kora (Sofia Boutella), a mysterious resident of the peaceful, distant moon of Veldt. After the sadistic Admiral Atticus Noble (Skrein) and soldiers from the militaristic planet known as the Motherworld invade Veldt, Kora forms a band of rebels to take on the moon's oppressors despite risking revelations of her dark past.
Skrein also noted how "Deadpool" — which he starred in opposite Ryan Reynolds — went to extremes in terms of violence for a superhero movie, although its overall tone was humorous. "But this s*** is not funny," Skrein said of the R-rated version of "Rebel Moon." "This is f***ed-up empires in space and evil human nature evolving and playing out on an intergalactic level. It's hardcore."
Rebel Moon's different cuts are meant for two different audiences
Fans, of course, lobbied endlessly to see the "Snyder Cut" of "Justice League," which came four years after director Joss Whedon released his version of the DC superhero film in 2017. Getting the "Snyder Cut" of "Rebel Moon" apparently won't be as long or complicated of a process, since Ed Skrein says the director has already shot the footage. And while he can't wait for the R-rated version of the film, Skrein told THR that he enjoys the current PG-13 cut because he knows it works for the demographic it was intended for.
"Knowing what we shot for the R-rated version, Zack and Netflix did an incredible job of putting together the PG-13 version," Skrein told THR. "I feel like it's a really strong piece, but the shadow of the 'Snyder Cut' looms large. My son is 12 years old, and he came to the London premiere and loved it. I also brought my godson, my nephew, and his best mate, and they loved it, because [the PG-13 cut] is really for that demographic."
The R-rated version, on the other hand, is deliberately intended for an older demographic. "The Snyder Cut, 'the extended cut,' as we're supposed to call it, has the potential to be something seminal for the older generation," Skrein told THR.
Snyder shot scenes to ensure a PG-13 rating
While Ed Skrein said Zack Snyder didn't make two different versions of "Rebel Moon" to specifically get PG-13 and R ratings, some of the scenes naturally skewed the R-rated route before being trimmed out. "There are some scenes that are not in the movie, and while we were doing it, I could have told you that they weren't going to be in it," Skrein told THR. "It was like, 'How could you cut this scene for a 12-year-old?' There are other scenes where it doesn't matter and it doesn't change whatsoever."
However, Skrein added that scenes like one inside Admiral Noble's bedchamber had to be shot two different ways because both he and Snyder knew the way it was filmed originally couldn't be in a PG-13 film. "When I shot that scene, I pushed it quite far in some of the takes, but they cut around it in [the PG-13 version]," Skrein recalled for THR. "So, in the extended cut, it'll feel different ... I swore like a sailor in certain takes. Zack would then say, "OK, now let's get one without swearing, just so we're safe for the PG-13.'"
While there is no official release date for the director's cut of "Rebel Moon: Part One — A Child of Fire," it's rumored to come out before the release of "Rebel Moon: Part Two — The Scargiver," which will premiere on Netflix on April 19, 2024. A director's cut of "Part Two" is expected as well.