Zack Snyder’s new Netflix movie Rebel Moon was always planned to have two different versions: a PG-13 cut for its premiere release and an R-rated cut that would offer a more unfiltered take on the sci-fi fantasy saga. The release of Rebel Moon — Part One: A Child of Fire on Netflix has left many wondering what Snyder left on the table in the R-rated cut. In a recent conversation with Snyder, Polygon asked him exactly that, to which he replied, “It’s more about a deep dive into the universe — it’s a lot more. It’s almost like the story takes place in a slightly different dimension than this movie that’s about to come out.”

Snyder loves a shared world and has hinted that Rebel Moon and his previous movie, Army of the Dead, take place in the same universe. With Rebel Moon, Snyder aimed to explore a more brutal side of intergalactic warfare, creating character-based action sequences that defy the expectations of typical sci-fi action. According to Snyder, “The action sequences in this movie are all sort of character-based, and they’re all teaching us more about [Sofia Boutella’s character] Kora. In a space movie, normally, the fighting is really kind of ‘pew pew’ or lightsabers, so you have this kind of distance, where I really wanted them to be basically brawling all the time. It’s kind of retro fights. I tried to do the sort of opposite of what you would expect, them using some kind of high-tech weapons. They use no weapons or like [Ed Skrein’s character] Noble literally has a club. So it’s coolly primitive.”

The R-rated cut of Rebel Moon does not currently have a streaming date, while A Child of Fire is currently available on Netflix. The sequel, The Scargiver, is set to hit Netflix on April 19, 2024.