Zack Snyder’s upcoming zombie movie for Netflix, “Army of the Dead,” is spawning its own universe of stories, as Netflix has already greenlit and is developing both a prequel film and an anime series both branching off from the main film ahead of its 2021 debut.
Shay Hatten, one of the screenwriters on “Army of the Dead,” will write both the prequel and the anime. And Matthias Schweighöfer, a German actor and director who also appears in “Army of the Dead” and is known for his series “You Are Wanted,” will direct and star in the prequel film.
The anime, “Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas,” will feature the voice work of the film’s star Dave Bautista and will be led “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns” director Jay Oliva as showrunner. Snyder himself will also direct two episodes of the series, and Bautista, Ana de la Reguera, Tig Notaro, Omari Hardwick and Ella Purnell will all reprise their roles.
It’s a big commitment to Snyder’s IP ahead of the film’s release, but it has the potential to make a franchise that can expand into other languages and markets.
“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,” Snyder said in a statement.
“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,” Schweighöfer said in a statement.
“Army of the Dead” is an action and heist film about a group of mercenaries in Las Vegas who venture into a quarantine zone infected by zombies in order to pull off a massive heist. The movie wrapped principal photography late last year, but it was reported that the film would undergo reshoots and incorporate a variety of special effects in order to blend Tig Notaro into the movie, who replaced comedian Chris D’Elia in the role after he was accused of predatory online behavior.
The remaining cast of “Army of the Dead” includes Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Ana De La Reguera, Theo Rossi, Huma Qureshi, Omari Hardwick, Tig Notaro, Hiroyuki Sanada, Garret Dillahunt, Matthias Schweighöfer, Raúl Castillo, Nora Arnezeder and Samantha Win. The film is produced by The Stone Quarry’s Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder and Wesley Coller. The film will be released on Netflix in 2021.
The prequel film will follow Schweighöfer’s character Ludwig Dieter and will be produced out of Germany. Deborah Snyder, Zack Snyder and Wesley Coller will all also produce, as will Schweighöfer and Dan Maag of PANTALEON Films.
“Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas” is executive produced by Deborah and Zack Snyder and Coller alongside Jay Oliva and Shay Hatten.
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