Few actors in the whole world are extra certified to speak about franchises than Djimon Hounsou. The man who most individuals first met when he did Steven Spielberg’s Amistad has since made an unimaginable profession for himself leaping between fantastical movie worlds. He’s labored with Marvel. He’s labored with DC. He’s been within the Fast and Furious, Quiet Place, and Kingsman. He’s additionally been in a number of movies (Tarzan, King Arthur, Eragon) that had franchise aspirations however as an alternative fell flat. His newest journey takes him to Rebel Moon, a two-part sci-fi epic from director Zack Snyder and Netflix. Hounsou thinks it’s Snyder himself that not solely makes Rebel Moon distinctive however offers it a likelihood to develop into one thing extra.
“The thing that’s unique about Rebel Moon is the story. The essence of the story, in which I could see the relevance of our world,” Hounsou instructed io9 over video chat. “The relevance of our reality, in a way, comes off the page. I can speak for the geopolitical tentacles that have been holding the continent of Africa back for centuries. That felt like it came off the page. Just the makeup of the continent, to the way he was able to tell the story of today in such an organic and grounded way really drew me [in] and speaks volumes about the state of affairs today.”
In the movie, Hounsou performs General Titus, a as soon as well-known navy genius who has grow to be misplaced and is combating as a gladiator (sure, that he beforehand performed a gladiator in a well-known film with that title was a particular wink to the viewers from Snyder, confirms Hounsou). Titus is recruited by the mysterious Kora (Sofia Boutella) to hitch a random group of warriors all with a rating to settle in opposition to the evil Motherworld.
Though we don’t study a lot about Titus partially certainly one of Rebel Moon, Hounsou guarantees half two dives deeper and he had entry to all of it. “In terms of backstory Zack knew so much about that world,” Hounsou stated. “Each character is well detailed in terms of its back history in a fashion that it was almost like Zack Snyder was literally a Bible for each character’s backstory. I mean, he knows it back and forth. He knows where they come from and where they’re heading.”
Which he’d need to, as a result of one other factor that makes Snyder distinctive is simply how busy he’s. Hounsou, who has labored with the likes of Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Michael Bay, James Wan, Guy Ritchie, and others, nonetheless discovered himself amazed and impressed by Snyder the filmmaker. “He is that unique because he’s is a great writer, to begin with,” Hounsou stated. “And he’s, of course, the director and also the cinematographer and he’s the cameraman as well. So the spectrum of really bringing this life [together] it’s unbelievable to see. I mean, the man is tireless. The way he approached the work and the fact that he’s embraced each character with our own little cultural essence… He’s brought a global cast together in a fashion that rarely anybody ever does. I mean you can’t be more diverse than this.”
Another factor that makes Snyder distinctive is his fan base. Snyder is a filmmaker with a very passionate, very vocal fanbase, and Hounsou admits that essence is one thing he felt going into the mission. “I think it does influence you a little bit,” he stated. “This is the man who iconically created a film called 300. No matter where you go in the world, somebody has a DVD of that. But I think if anything, it only enhanced and supported our contributions to creating Rebel Moon. He’s definitely a filmmaker apart, in the ways he’s holding so many torches as a cinematographer, as a director, as a writer, and as a producer as well. So there’s a lot of hats he’s wearing on a daily basis. And I find it extremely commendable with the level of composure in which he comes on and off set.”
Whether or not Rebel Moon reaches the success of Hounsou’s different franchises, we might not know for a whereas. But that Snyder and his world impressed an actor of his expertise and expertise says a lot.
Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire is now streaming on Netflix.
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