Zack Snyder is bringing audiences back to the zombie apocalypse, nearly two decades
after his directorial debut with Dawn of the Dead -- and this time, there's a twist with
some real teeth.
His upcoming thriller Army of the Dead takes the new gnashing action to Sin City.
The film centers on a group of all-star mercenaries who decide to wager their own lives on a potentially
life-changing heist amid all of the chaos.
See, while Vegas is zombie-central, the rest of the world is comparatively normal - meaning
all that tempting moolah is ripe for the spending.
They'll also have to race against the clock, as the government plans a nuclear strike against
the walled-off city -- whether they're still inside or not.
Here's a look at what else you should know about Army of the Dead before it arrives on
Netflix on Friday, May 21.
"It's not too late to go back."
Not long after Zack Snyder first broke onto the scene with his gripping reimagination
of George A. Romero's classic Dawn of the Dead, the filmmaker first came up with his
idea for Army of the Dead.
As the writer-director explained to Entertainment Weekly, after he had success with his version
of Dawn of the Dead, he began to consider what other storytelling genres might pair
well with the world of the walking dead and imagined a story where, quote, "you have fun
with the genre but you don't make fun of the genre."
"It's a goddamn zombie tiger.
That's crossing the line."
What Snyder then came up with was a story which both brings on full-blown undead action
with jaw-dropping practical effects and sinks its teeth into some ensemble heist fun while
presenting fully developed characters and a story with real heart.
"So you expect pure zombie mayhem, and you get that, 100 percent.
But also you get these really amazing characters on a fantastic journey.
It's going to surprise people that there's a lot of warmth and real emotion with these
great characters."
The movie also gives Snyder an opportunity to introduce a new breed of biters, called
Alphas.
As he teased to Total Film:
"We treat them kind of like wolves, sort of like a dog.
They're not necessarily fully realized and talk or anything.
But they can organize."
Snyder wrote the script alongside Shay Hatton and Joby Harold and then set to work finding
the right cast to bring the story to life.
The cast of Army of the Dead is filled with standout stars who each get a chance to shine
in the film.
Dave Bautista leads the lineup as Scott Ward, the head of the heist crew.
The actor told Empire Magazine that he'd always been on the lookout for a zombie film role
that was just the right fit for him, saying:
"For me, there had to be something special about a zombie film for me to sign up.
What sets us apart is the heist.
But there’s a whole bunch of different layers to this film."
One such layer is that the film will dig into Scott's complicated history with his daughter
Kate, who is portrayed by Ella Purnell.
As Snyder told Total Film, the movie is, quote, "incredibly personal and singular."
Meanwhile, celebrated comedian Tig Notaro was truly pumped to try a new genre out for
size, telling Jimmy Fallon:
"I'd never dreamed I would be in an action film, so I had no idea that I'd be having
ammunition strapped to my chest, a big rectangular gas tank strapped to my back, a machine gun,
[and] a pistol on my thigh."
Notaro's character, Marianne Peters, is one of the several specialists that Scott recruits
for his crew.
And that's not all.
The truly international cast features actors hailing from Mexico, the UK, India, Germany,
Japan, and France.
It includes Omari Hardwick as Vanderohe, Samantha Win as Chambers, Ana de la Reguera as Cruz,
Matthias Schweighöfer as Dieter, Raúl Castillo as Mikey Guzman, Garret Dillahunt as Martin,
Hiroyuki Sanada as Tanaka, Theo Rossi as Burt Cummings, Nora Arnezeder as the badass warrior
Coyote, and Huma Qureshi.
And Army of the Dead marks another first for Snyder: this is the first time he worked as
the cinematographer of one of his own films, in addition to writing, directing, and producing.
"That's heavy, brother, but I dig it."
There's still much more to come from the Army of the Dead storyline after the film debuts
on Netflix on May 21.
A prequel film, for starters, will feature Matthias Schweighöfer reprising his role
as the genius safecracker Dieter.
Schweighöfer also stepped behind the camera to direct the picture, which was produced
in Germany and Prague in the fall and wrapped in December.
In addition to Schweighöfer, the film's cast also includes Game of Thrones star Nathalie
Emmanuel, Stuart Martin, Guz Khan, Ruby O´Fee, Jonathan Cohen, and Noémi Nakai.
Meanwhile, the animated series Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas will see Bautista reprise
his role for the series, alongside some of the original cast.
And there are also several new stars who have been added to the mix for this leg of the
journey, including Joe Manganiello, Christian Slater, Harry Lennix, Ross Butler, Anya Chalotra,
Vanessa Hudgens, Jena Malone, and Yetide Badaki.
In all, Army of the Dead and the rest of its related spin-offs marks the start of a major
passion project for Snyder, and fans can expect his unique new characters and worldbuilding
to get fleshed out even more in these forthcoming follow-ups.
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