More than a decade after the project was first announced, director Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead finally went into production with the backing of Netflix and was released through the streaming service back in May. Long before Army of the Dead was available to watch, we heard that it would be kicking off a franchise and would be followed by a prequel titled Army of Thieves and an anime series called Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas. Now we can add a fourth Army of the Dead project to the list, as it has been confirmed that Snyder is now developing Army of the Dead 2!
Snyder is working on Army of the Dead 2 with screenwriter Shay Hatten, who co-wrote the first film with him. It will be a while before the sequel starts filming, though, because Snyder plans to make the sci-fi adventure Rebel Moon for Netflix before he returns to the zombie apocalypse.
Rebel Moon and Army of the Dead 2 are both part of a first-look deal Snyder's company Stone Quarry Productions recently signed with Netflix. Snyder said his
goal and hope are to bring as much quality content as I can and do it on a giant scale. Big projects and big movies."
Snyder's producing partner and wife Deborah Snyder added,
For us, it was so important to find a partnership that was based on mutual respect. The creative process works best when everybody trusts each other and you can take chances and be creative. For us, we don’t usually play it safe. The content we make is a little bit edgier. And I think it’s important to have a good partnership and hear each other. And Netflix has given us a lot of freedom. But they’ve also embraced the idea of trying new things and not necessarily waiting for a success before moving ahead."
The fact that Army of Thieves has already wrapped production and is heading toward a fall release is an example of Netflix "not waiting for success" before moving forward. Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas is expected to arrive on Netflix soon after, in spring 2022.
Deborah Snyder said,
A consumer isn’t going to be waiting two years for more and that is exciting. I give them a lot of credit for developing that partnership and trust."
This Netflix deal reunites the Snyders with Scott Stuber, who was vice chairman of Universal when Zack Snyder made his debut feature – the Dawn of the Dead remake – there, and is now the head of Netflix Original Films. Stuber said,
I’ve known Zack and Deb for years and was fortunate to be part of Dawn of the Dead, his first film. I have since had the privilege of watching his career grow and see the evolving impact of his work. To see him return to his roots with Army of the Dead, which is now one of our most popular films, and build a world out of these characters with the upcoming Army of Thieves and anime series, is amazing to see. We’ve only scratched the surface of what’s still to come and create with everyone at Stone Quarry."
Rebel Moon is expected to be a franchise starter as well, and Stone Quarry and Netflix are also working together on an action film that will mark the feature directorial debut of Damon Caro, who has worked as a second unit director and/or action and stunt coordinator on all of Snyder's films.