Netflix Sued After Axing Zack Snyder’s ‘Rebel Moon’ Gaming Contract

Netflix is being sued for axing a gaming development contract based on Zack Snyder’s highly anticipated film, “Rebel Moon,” which was originally created as a “Star Wars” film.

However, after Lucasfilm sold the rights to the franchise to Disney, Snyder took his “darker” vision of the franchise in a different direction and later created his own movie franchise that will be distributed on Netflix starting in December 2023.

Although Snyder is hoping that his series will be the next “Star Wars,” the franchise has already taken a hit, as Netflix has decided not to follow through with a role-playing game that was supposed to be released alongside the film in December.

On September 28, Evil Genius Games filed a lawsuit against Netflix, claiming that they walked away from a tabletop role-playing game based on Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon” that was supposed to be released in only a few short months from now. Although the gaming company and the streamer had been collaborating for months, Netflix decided to pull the plug on the project.

According to the lawsuit, Netflix decided to axe the project weeks after the work was finalized and turned over to the streamer. Netflix claims that Evil Genius Games breached the confidentiality provisions in their initial contract and violated “Netflix’s trust” by allegedly releasing confidential information about the game at a trade show.

They go on to state that Evil Genius Games also distributed unapproved artwork for the “Rebel Moon” game to retails before it could be approved by Netflix, according to court documents obtained by Deadline. The licensing deal was terminated in May after the “trade show” in March 2023.

Evil Genius Games, however, maintains that they had acquired Netflix’s permission to show artwork from the game at the 2023 Game Manufacturers Association Exposition to “create some industry buzz” for the project. According to the court documents, they allege that two Netflix employees were even present at the event and helped hand out materials to retailers at the show.

The breach in contract from LA’s Kibler, Fowler & Cave LLC. currently seeks an unspecified amount of damages for the alleged breach of contract. Creator Zack Snyder, although named several times throughout the document, was not named as a defendant in the complaint and has not commented on the lawsuit. Netflix has also not commented n the lawsuit at this time.

In the court documents, Evil Genius Games claims that they not only did the work that they were required to do, but they also “delivered a 228-page Word Bible” that fleshed out the “Rebel Moon” universe based on the vision that Zack Snyder had created. They also claim that they gave Netflix a 430-page Player’s Guide and a 337-page Game Master’s Guide.

The volume of materials was based upon the allegation that Synder’s script was “missing background information vital to the story as a whole and to the world,” according to the court documents. In order to create a cohesive story, Evil Genius Games claims that they went on to provide “all the missing pieces” and a “cohesive backstory for the entire Rebel Moon franchise.”

The legal filing goes on to state, “It became clear that Netflix was simply using the alleged breach and termination to hijack [Evil Genius’] intellectual property and prevent [Evil Genius] from releasing the game.’’

In a statement, Evil Genius Games CEO David Scott said, “Our aim is to ensure our team is recognized for their fantastic work, and that we can release this game for millions of TTRPG enthusiasts to enjoy,’’ Scott said. “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.’’

The movie synopsis reads: “When a colony on the edge of the galaxy finds itself threatened by the armies of the tyrannical Regent Balisarius, they dispatch a young woman with a mysterious past to seek out warriors from neighboring planets to help them take a stand.”

Part one of the film, "A Child of Fire," is scheduled for release on Netflix on December 22, 2023. The second part, "The Scargiver" is scheduled to arrive a few months later on April 19, 2024. Snyder wrote, directed, and produced the film alongside Deborah Snyder, Eric Newman, and Wesley Coller. Shay Hatten and Kurt Johnstad also contributed to the screenplay.

The film stars Sophia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Charlotte Maggi, Ray Fisher, Anthony Hopkins, and Ed Skrein, among others.