Netflix's big-budget Star Wars rival will launch even sooner this month

Sci-fi at Christmas has a bit of a mixed record. For everyone magical Doctor Who Christmas special, there's a Star Wars Holiday Special which nearly killed off the franchise in the 70's. 

Netflix will be hoping that's not the case with it's upcoming Zak Snyder-helmed blockbuster Rebel Moon. It was originally expected to arrive on one of the best streaming services on the 22nd of December at 8 am GMT (after a brief theatrical run) but now it will arrive at 3 am GMT. This early release is nice for night owls but mainly helpful for the US, where instead of waiting until the stroke of the 22nd of December, audiences can tune in on the evening of the 21st. 

The script is in fact based on a Star Wars movie Snyder had planned but which never came to fruition, and once you hear what it's about you'll see the similarities. Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (to give the movie its full name) follows Kora (Sofia Boutella) a former Imperium (read: Empire) soldier who's settled on a peaceful farming planet. When her old bosses come to the planet, it falls to Kora to assemble a team to defend these humble folk. 

So yes it's very Star Wars (there are even heated laser swords), but that's no bad thing. Especially when the cast has big names like Charlie Hunham and even Anthony Hopkins on board.

This is no vanity project either, Netflix has bet big on Rebel Moon. The movie has an estimated budget of $ 150 million, which makes it one of Netflix's biggest projects ever. In fact, if you search for "Rebel Moon" on Netflix, you'll already see the second instalment subtitled "The Scargiver" is coming on April 19th 2024.  

As you might expect December is a big month for Netflix. Not only did it see the conclusion of its Squid Game reality show, but also the arrival of a superb Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore-led drama.