‘Shantaram’ Is Not the Only Epic Project ‘Sons of Anarchy’ Star Charlie Hunnam Has Coming Out — Everything We Know About ‘Rebel Moon’
Shantaram starring Charlie Hunnam is set to drop on Apple TV+ next month after numerous delays. Hunnam stars as Lin Ford — a fugitive who attempts to “get lost in vibrant and chaotic 1980s Bombay” after escaping a maximum-security Australian prison. But that’s not the only project that the Sons of Anarchy alum has coming out. He will also be part of Zack Snyder’s sci-fi epic Rebel Moon.
Everything we know about ‘Rebel Moon’
The history of the Rebel Moon project goes back so far that Snyder first developed it as a Star Wars universe pitch before Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm a decade ago. Once that deal was made, the director adapted and reworked Rebel Moon into an original property — removing every Star Wars reference and tie-in.
According to Variety, the film is a “grand fantasy adventure” about a peaceful colony on the edge of the galaxy that is threatened by armies of a tyrannical despot known as Regent Belisarius. To help fend off an impending invasion, the colonists call on a young woman with a mysterious past to recruit warriors from neighboring planets.
“This is me growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan,” Snyder told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s my love of sci-fi and a giant adventure. My hope is that this also becomes a massive IP and a universe that can be built out.”
Charlie Hunnam is part of a large ensemble cast
Rebel Moon will feature a large ensemble cast led by dancer-turned-actress Sofia Boutella, who plays the young woman at the center of the story. She will be joined by Hunnam, two-time Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins, The Princess Bride’s Cary Elwes, Blood Diamond’s Djimon Hounsou, Ant-Man’s Corey Stoll, Justice League’s Ray Fisher, Sense8’s Bae Doona, and many more.
Rebel Moon will be the first feature to fall under Snyder’s first-look partnership with Netflix. The story is so massive that he split it into two movies, filmed back-to-back. They began filming in April, and the project is scheduled to wrap in November.
Snyder is directing both features. He also co-wrote the scripts with Army of the Dead co-screenwriter Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad, who co-wrote the 2006 epic 300. Snyder’s producing partners are his wife Deborah and Wesley Coller under the trio’s The Stone Quarry production banner.
After wrapping ‘Shantaram’ in Australia, Charlie Hunnam started filming ‘Rebel Moon’ in California
Hunnam finished filming Shantaram earlier this year in Australia and apparently went directly to Rebel Moon in the United States. Production is taking place at Death Valley National Park in Inyo County, California — a popular filming destination where more than 400 movies have been made over the past century. The location claims to be “the largest Western backlot located in Lone Pine, CA.”
This was also a filming location used in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and Star Wars Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi. Snyder has a budget for the two films that is reported to be between $81 and $90 million. And, the first Rebel Moon film is expected to hit Netflix in late 2023 or early 2024.
Meanwhile, the first three episodes of Hunnam’s Shantaram will drop on Oct. 14 on Apple TV+.
