After making his feature directorial debut with the 2004 DAWN OF THE DEAD remake, Zack Snyder went off to make a bunch of superhero and fantasy films. Now he's set to return to the horror genre with ARMY OF THE DEAD, a project that was first announced soon after the release of DAWN OF THE DEAD '04 and is now finally happening thanks to Netflix.
Scripted by Snyder and Joby Harold, ARMY OF THE DEAD reportedly boasts a $90 million budget. Dave Bautista (pictured above) is signed on to star in the film, which is
set amid a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, during which a man assembles a group of mercenaries to take the ultimate gamble: venturing into the quarantined zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.
To give us some information on the characters who will be attempting to pull off this heist while surrounded by an ARMY OF THE DEAD, the folks over at The Observer have dug up a handful of character breakdowns:
Scott (40s-50s): Dry witted, thoughtful. Estranged from his family. (Lead)
Kate (Early 20s): Taciturn, hard-working, driven. She is Scott’s daughter, but estranged from her father. She is a volunteer with the World Health Organization. (Lead).
Vanderohe (30s-40s): Strong as a beast, with muscles bulging out of his tight T-shirt, this guy is a “badass,” but also good-humored. Known for his expertise when it comes to killing zombies. He has a philosophical approach to life to counteract his emotional scars from what he witnessed in the war. (Lead).
Frank Peters (50s-60s): He is a “cool-as-hell older dude with slicked-back gray hair and aviators.” A chopper pilot, brought on board to transport the team into the zombie-held territory. (Lead).
Lilly (Late 20s-30s): Restless, a tough cookie, also known as the Coyote, helping those, who, for whatever reason, need to get back inside the zombie stronghold. She’s canny and crafty, with all the skills to survive in the most hostile of environments. (Lead).
Cruz (Female, late 30s-40s): Latina, a mechanic, owner of a body shop. Hard-drinking and tough-talking, she’s more than happy to join the mission into the zombie stronghold, but it’s not for the money. (Lead).
Ludwig Dieter (Male, 20s): A scrawny Swiss-German kid and master safe-cracker. He has broken into more high security vaults than anybody else in the world. Dieter is the only one who is vocally excited about the mission and considers the upcoming adventure real “fun.” (Lead).
Reggie (20s): “Tough as can be—jacked, stacked and cool.” He, too, is a member of the team whose primary role is straight-up zombie killer. (Supporting).
Adeline (30s): Disenfranchised immigrant, a refugee, she’s a single mom with two young children, willing to do anything to keep her kids safe. (Lead).
Burt Cummings (30s): Thin, with a “porny mustache,” greasy-haired, this guy is a tobacco-chewing, self-important jerk, cocky and alienating, who is taking advantage of the power he has obtained over the refugees. (Lead).
Mikey Guzman (30s): Fearless, highly capable, he is a sharp-shooter, able to kill multiple zombies with a single shot. He is looking for the one big score that will change his life. (Supporting).
Martin (30s): A Ray-Ban wearing fellow in a suit, he is right-hand-man to billionaire Hunter Bly. Former head of security at Blye’s Las Vegas casino. No one is quite sure of his motivations. (Lead).
According to The Observer, Bautista will be bringing the Scott character to life, even though it's Vanderohe who sounds like a perfect match for him.
Ori Marmur and Andrew Norman are overseeing ARMY OF THE DEAD for Netflix. Snyder is producing the film alongside Deborah Snyder.
We'll keep you updated on this project, which the director has described as a "balls-to-the-wall zombie freakshow", as it makes its way through production.