If you like big, sprawling sci-fi epics, you’re likely to be very excited about the release of Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon later this year. Despite the film not even being out yet, Netflix is facing legal action, but this issue lies with a tie-in game rather than the movie itself.
Rebel Moon is essentially Zack Snyder‘s attempt to break into the pantheon of the best science fiction movies of all time, and is thought to be the result of watching the Star Wars movies in order and wanting a piece of that magic. The Rebel Moon release date is still some way off, but Netflix is already having some problems with the project.
Well, sort of. Actually, the new movie has done nothing wrong as far as we can tell. But for the best streaming service around, the issue lies with the fact a game based on the upcoming flick was canceled, leading to a lawsuit.
Variety has the details on the situation, and apparently Netflix has been “sued for breach of contract” by the company lined up to create the game. It is said that Evil Genius Games was collaborating with Netflix since early 2023 to “develop a tabletop role-playing game” based on Rebel Moon.
However, the deal has now turned sour as, the report reveals: “Evil Genius paid Netflix for a license, with an agreement to share profits — but earlier this year, Netflix terminated the deal, alleging that Evil Genius violated confidentiality agreement for Rebel Moon, per the complaint.”
With the lawsuit filed earlier this week, Evil Genius is now looking for “unspecified monetary damages.” It appears Netflix is yet to comment on the matter, but we do know that Zack Snyder is not named in the complaint. The big issue appears to be that Evil Genius had “halted other projects to focus” on the production of the Rebel Moon game, including the development of a 228-page World Bible, a 430-page Player’s Guide, and a 337-page Game Master’s Guide.
Evil Genius CEO David Scott released a statement on the situation, saying: “Our aim is to ensure our team is recognized for their fantastic work, and that we can release this game for millions of enthusiasts to enjoy. It’s disheartening to see Netflix backpedal on content that was jointly showcased and had received their prior consent. We urge our supporters to contact Netflix and Zack Snyder to push for the release of this game.”
Whether we will see the game or not remains to be seen, though we had high hopes it could have been among the best tabletop RPGs of the year. With Rebel Moon set to be among everything new on Netflix in December, it may be that we only get to enjoy the movie rather than the game, too.
Until then, here’s a guide to whether Rebel Moon is based on a book, or a look at the Star Wars cast to see where the inspiration may have come from. You can also get more from Netflix by checking out our guide to the best Netflix movies, and find out about the secret Netflix codes. Alternatively, look ahead to films like Avatar 3 and The Marvels for more out-of-this-world action.