Army of Thieves: Matthias Schweighöfer on the upcoming prequel

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Folks probably took a trip to a Las Vegas plagued by zombies this weekend via Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead, a movie we’ve written a lot about these last few weeks. Those who’ve been keeping up with the news know that Matthias Schweighöfer, who plays the lovable safecracker Ludwig Dieter, has already both directed and starred in a prequel, Army of Thieves, which should hit Netflix in the near future. 

We caught up with Schweighöfer recently, with him giving us a few details on the prequel, in which he stars with Game of Thrones vet Nathalie Emmanuel. While also set in zombie-ridden Las Vegas, it’s not a zombie movie. Well, not really. As per Schweighöfer, “it’s not a zombie movie. But maybe we’ll see a few zombies there too, I dunno. It’s a huge heist movie. It’s a story about why Ludwig Dieter is Ludwig Dieter and a safecracker from another planet. It will be very entertaining and funny and hopefully, we’ll see it soon.”

He also confirmed that “it is a prequel – 100%”, and gave some background on how the film came about. “Last year, in January or February, they called me and said, Matthias, there will be a script called Army of Thieves. Do you want to direct the film? And I said (sarcastically) NO, why, there’s no reason to do that!  No, I was screaming like Dieter, OH MY GOD! And we’re editing, we’re very close to finishing the movie.”

Schweighöfer, who’s an accomplished director in Germany (he starred in and directed the hit Amazon series You Are Wanted) was always a big Snyder fan. “I saw every movie. When I prep my movies in Germany, I always try to teach my people, when we have a second unit, watch Man of Steel. Look what they did, it’s amazing. The details, the atmosphere, the patina. Before the film, he was such a part of my life, and now he’s a friend. I can call him every day and he’s like, what’s up brother – how can I help you?

Are you hyped for Army of Thieves? Let us know in the talkback!