Sixteen years after making his feature directorial debut with the DAWN OF THE DEAD remake (watch it HERE), Zack Snyder has returned to the concept of a zombie apocalypse with his new film ARMY OF THE DEAD, a Netflix production. Even though the streaming service hasn't announced the film's 2021 release date yet, they're already working on turning this into a franchise. Netflix has revealed that Snyder's ARMY OF THE DEAD co-writer Shay Hatten is currently scripting both a prequel feature and an anime series set in the world of ARMY OF THE DEAD.
Written by Snyder, Hatten, and Joby Harold, ARMY OF THE DEAD is an adventure film that takes place after
a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, where 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.
The cast includes Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Ana De La Reguera, Huma Qureshi, Raúl Castillo, Omari Hardwick, Tig Notaro (replacing Chris D’Elia in reshoots), Hiroyuki Sanada, Nora Arnezeder, Rich Cetrone, Garret Dillahunt, Samantha Win, and Matthias Schweighöfer.
The prequel will center on Schweighöfer's character Ludwig Dieter, and not only will Schweighöfer be starring in the film, he'll also be directing it.
Meanwhile, the anime series – which is titled Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas – will serve as an "origin story" for
Bautista’s character and his rescue crew during the initial fall of Vegas as they confront the mysterious source of the zombie outbreak.
Snyder will be directing two episodes of Lost Vegas, and so will showrunner Jay Oliva. The series will be executive produced by The Stone Quarry's Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder, and Wesley Coller, with Oliva and Hatten. Bautista, De la Reguera, Notaro, Hardwick, and Purnell will be providing the vocal performances for their characters.
Snyder had this to say about ARMY OF THE DEAD becoming a franchise:
I’m incredibly excited for the opportunity to partner with Netflix again as we expand the Army of the Dead universe with both an international prequel, as well as exploring the visually dynamic world of animation. It’s been a great collaboration and we are thrilled that Netflix sees this as big of an IP as we do."
Schweighöfer will be producing the prequel with the Snyders, Coller, and Dan Maag of Pantaleon Films. He said,
It has already been a great pleasure to be part of this wonderful ensemble around Zack Synder — a fascinating project. I am happy that it is now being developed on so many different levels."
Here's hoping that all of these projects are going to be awesome.