Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon has found its lead in Sofia Boutella.

As reported by Deadline, Snyder "has been meeting with talent for months for the lead role and recently cut it down to a small group of actresses, which included Boutella, to test for the part. Insiders say Boutella wowed Snyder and a decision came fast to make her the lead." The Algerian actor's prior credits include Kingsman: The Secret Service, Star Trek Beyond, The Mummy (2017), Atomic Blonde and Fahrenheit 451.

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Rebel Moon originally began as a pitch for a Star Wars movie that Snyder came up with ten years prior before developing it into an original story. "This is me growing up as an Akira Kurosawa fan, a Star Wars fan," he said when the project was first announced. "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." He added "I've spent the last two or three years building out this universe. Every corner has to be painted in. I've been doing designs, constantly drawing and really cultivating its fertile ground to make this world fully realized."

Based on Seven SamuraiRebel Moon begins in a peaceful colony residing on the edge of the galaxy. When they're threatened by the forces of the tyrannical Regent Balisarius, the colony dispatches a young woman with a mysterious past (Boutella) to recruit warriors from nearby planets to take a stand against their despotic foe. The film is co-written by Snyder and frequent collaborators Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad, with Deborah Snyder, Wesley Coller and Eric Newman producing.

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The film will be released on Netflix, which recently made a first-look deal with Snyder's production company, The Stone Quarry. "For us, it was so important to find a partnership that was based on mutual respect," Deborah Snyder said. "The creative process works best when everybody trusts each other and you can take chances and be creative. For us, we don't usually play it safe. The content we make is a little bit edgier. And I think it's important to have a good partnership and hear each other. And Netflix has given us a lot of freedom. But they've also embraced the idea of trying new things and not necessarily waiting for a success before moving ahead."

The Snyders previously worked with the streaming giant on the zombie heist feature Army of the Dead. The film was a big enough success that Stone Quarry produced a prequel, Army of Thieves, and is developing an anime spin-off subtitled Lost Vegas and a sequel titled Planet of the Dead.

Rebel Moon is expected to begin shooting in 2022. It does not yet have a release date.

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Source: Deadline