Zack Snyder sure has been keeping busy, what with his highly publicized cut of Justice League coming to HBO Max. But he’s also finishing up a lesser-known project called Army of the Dead, a zombie film being produced for Netflix. The movie has been in post-production for the past seven months and as far as updates go, the only timeline the director has offered has been “coming soon.”
From what we know about it so far, the movie was originally conceptualized as a sequel to 2004’s Dawn of the Dead but now seems to be a standalone project, though it could still be set within the same universe. It was initially shelved by the streaming giant as well, while Snyder took the reigns of the DCEU, and it then remained on ice while he took a sabbatical to spend time with his family.
But Zack is clearly excited to be back in the director’s chair and expressed his enthusiasm for the film in a recent interview with THR, saying:
“I thought this was a good palate cleanser to really dig in with both hands and make something fun and epic and crazy and bonkers in the best possible way.”
The script was written by Snyder and co-writer of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum Shay Hatten. Plot details are vague, but we know that Army of the Dead falls within the action-horror genre alongside elements of a heist movie mixed in. Netflix has provided a basic story outline as well, which tells us that it’ll focus on a group of mercenaries who attempt to pull off a heist in a zombie-infested Las Vegas. And joining the motley crew is Dave Bautista, one of the biggest actors on the casting sheet, alongside an ensemble that also boasts Garret Dillahunt, Theo Rossi and more.
Of course, there’s never been a shortage of zombie-filled content to consume, but unique spins on the concept have been few and far between. Maybe Army of the Dead could break the mold in some way though and give us a fun action flick in the vein of Netflix’s Extraction. Here’s hoping.