Rebel Moon: Part Two — The Scargiver once again proves that director Zack Snyder is only consistent in his ability to either disappoint or underwhelm. Filmed back to back with the first movie in many of the same locations, largely on soundstages, whatever you think about the sequel overall, a window into a production and a filmmaker’s process can always be insightful, so I’ve had a look behind the scenes.
Part Two Filming Locations
As is often the case when a project such as Rebel Moon is ordered. The first and second films were shot simultaneously, to save time and money. Many of the locations and sets were reused for the sequel, with filming mainly taking place in Los Angeles County and Inyo County, California.
A2zfilminglocation reveals much of the location work took place mainly around Inyo County, and if you manage to squint through the post-production, you will be able to see glimpses of the real places underneath.
Another sneaky location was revealed by actress Sofia Boutella in an interview with Decider. Sofia recalls that the team had to go to Santa Clarita, Spanish for “Little St. Clare”, a city in north-western Los Angeles.
Plenty of action was also recorded on sound stages used in filming, including an impressive twenty-foot slanted stage that would be used in an epic fight scene which required the performers to constantly reset after every shot, making the experience more like a mountain hike that a film set.
Production Timeline
Despite both Rebel Moon films feeling like Snyder has just ripped off Star Wars wholesale and added some of his usual flourishes, the movies have roots extending way back to the late 80s, so I’ve knocked together a brief timeline to give you a clearer picture of how a blockbuster Netflix movie goes from a film school idea to a tentpole release.
- Zack Snyder had the idea for the franchise as far back as 1989 when he was at film school, and he envisaged the project as a sci-fi movie with the approach of films such as The Dirty Dozen and The Seven Samurai.
- The idea would stay with Snyder and by 1997, he would be working on adverts with writer Kurt Johnstad.
- Snyder would put forward the proposal of a Star Wars/Seven Samurai mash-up, eventually pitching the idea to George Lucas in 2011, but the timing was off, as in 2012, Lucas would sell the property to Disney. Despite what he thought was a positive pitch, the plans would not move forward and be placed on the back burner.
- However, the idea was never forgotten and by July 2021, Snyder pitched the idea to Netflix after he had worked with the platform on the gory zombie fest Army of the Dead. Netflix liked the premise and writer Shay Hatten was approached to help with fleshing things out.
Zack Snyder filming Army of the Dead, getting a foot in the door with Netflix ahead of Rebel Moon
- By July 2021 the films entered a development stage, with filming scheduled to begin in April 2022. The decision to film the first two films back to back led to a somewhat arduous process for the cast and crew, and filming would take place over the next nine months, with the whole shoot stretching out over a year.
- Actress Sofia Boutella would reveal that she had started working with stunt teams on the film in January 2022, and would work right through to December of the same year.
- The first trailer for the first film appeared on August 22nd, 2023.
- Rebel Moon: Part One would receive a limited theatrical release on December 15th, 2023 a week before it dropped on the streaming platform on December 22nd, 2023.
- As the films had been shot back to back, the sequel was released incredibly quickly on April 19th, 2024.
