Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver was intended to be a second installment in a six-part, sci-fi space opera but it doesn't seem as if the film series will ever reach its conclusion. Despite Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver briefly claiming the top spot in Netflix's film viewership charts upon its release, each passing day with no update from the streamer suggests the saga may not reach its intended conclusion.
The Scargiver's ratings performance marked a significant dip in viewership compared to its predecessor, Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire. This decline raised natural concerns about audience retention and overall interest in the burgeoning universe.
Adding to these worries is the overwhelmingly negative critical response to the film. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Rebel Moon – Part Two currently holds a dismal 16% positive rating, with an average score of 3.8/10. The critical consensus paints a bleak picture, stating the film is "less a course correction than a compounding of everything that tangled up its predecessor, The Scargiver is an uninvolving space opera full of flat notes."
Furthermore, from a financial perspective, Netflix's investment in the Rebel Moon project is substantial. The first two films were reportedly produced simultaneously with a combined production budget of $166 million. The less-than-stellar viewership returns for the second installment likely have executives questioning the return on this considerable investment.
Screenwriter Kurt Johnstad, who wrote the first two films, recently offered a candid assessment of the situation during an appearance on the I MINUTEMEN podcast. While confirming that detailed plans exist for the continuation of the story, Johnstad painted a grim picture for the likelihood of seeing those plans realized.
Said Johnstad, "We outlined movies 3, 4, 5, and 6… very detailed outlines, and Zack has literally plotted out the whole world. We know where we can go… we’ve written… detailed outlines...The second movie was to find the princess. And the third movie is to make sure that the princess is where she should be — sitting on the throne and properly ruling… over the Mother World.”
However, when directly questioned about the possibility of a third Rebel Moon film, Johnstad offered a starkly realistic reply: "With some luck and an act of God, we’ll get to go back to that world."
Instead, Johnstad and Snyder are now working on a gritty LAPD thriller for Netflix, something that likely has a much lower budget as it won't feature the genre trappings of Snyder's more recent projects that have included zombies, space lasers, and unstoppable Spartan warriors.