A gigantic wheat field turned into a mammoth task during the filming of Rebel Moon. Image source: Netflix
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What would you do with a film budget of $166 million? Hire the most expensive actors of our time? Commission complex CGI effects in post-production? Grow a gigantic field of wheat?
Zack Snyder went with the third option, no joke! The famous director (300, Man of Steel, Watchmen) and his wife Deborah told us this in an interview about the second part of their sci-fi film Rebel Moon – which once again bitterly disappointed us.
It was crazy
It all starts with a harmless question from us: Looking back, what are you most proud of about Rebel Moon?
Deborah Snyder responds first, highlighting the rebel Kora (played by Sofia Boutella) as a complex character full of shades of gray, which is still unusual for female characters in today's media landscape.
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Then Zack Snyder suddenly replies: I was really excited to film the wheat harvest.
In the first part of Rebel Moon there were a few short excerpts showing wheat fields being harvested. In the am April 19, 2024 on Netflix After the sequel begins, it's time to get down to business. And that was obviously a real feat of strength that the couple will remember.
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Instead of using artificially produced wheat dummies or even CGI ears of corn, the film crew an area the size of ten football fields was planted.
This effort had a noble goal: the on-site actors should be able to better understand their roles when they stand in a real wheat field instead of in front of a green screen.
Zack Snyder recalls: We had grown all the wheat ourselves. It's all real. And the actors really had to break it down.
And this harvesting process apparently took quite some time. Proud 40 minutes long is supposed to be the sequence, of which of course only a fraction ended up in the finished film.
Deborah Snyder is sure with a wink: The Wheat could have been its own film! […] It was crazy. The wheat was a challenge.
In any case, we're glad that the second part of Rebel Moon didn't get any longer. Because even without a bountiful wheat harvest, the sci-fi film is difficult for us to bear at times. Vali tells you why exactly in his film review linked above.
A third part of Rebel Moon is not yet confirmed, but is at least planned. You can also find out what ideas Zack Snyder has for the conclusion of his trilogy in the box above.