Zack Snyder's original pitch for Rebel Moon as a Star Wars movie faced obstacles due to its lack of pre-existing characters and potential R-rating, according to Empire magazine. In a new interview, Snyder revealed that, in the end, he wound up having a stronger desire to develop a standalone story.

In the interview, Snyder reaffirmed that "a Star Wars movie" was his initial concept for Rebel Moon, adding, "It was Seven Samurai in space. I knew that the origins for George [Lucas] were a lot of those Kurosawa films."

Shortly after Disney acquired Lucasfilm, Snyder presented his pitch, acknowledging the significant challenges associated with his idea. Snyder explained, "I don't want any of your characters. I don't want to do anything with any known characters, I just want to do my own thing on the side." Recognizing that his proposition was a "big ask," Snyder also noted, "Originally I was like, 'It should be rated R!' That was almost a non-starter."