Army of the Dead is an upcoming American zombie heist film directed by Zack Snyder
No need for hashtags this time. When Netflix releases Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead on May 21, they will be his “Snyder Cut” and SnyderVerse rolled into one. “This is the movie,” Snyder said during a virtual press event Tuesday. “There are no other cuts to the film. I didn’t have to fight [Netflix]. It was the opposite… This is the director’s cut, so to speak, of Army of the Dead. You will see it first. You don’t have to see a bastard version. First you can see the amazing version «.
Snyder said that, and much more, during a virtual question-and-answer session to celebrate the first full trailer for his upcoming zombie apocalypse heist action movie. The filmmaker was very excited about the film because he says it has given him the opportunity to have a universe that he himself can control. (A not-so-veiled reference to the complex situation with Justice League.)
“I really wanted to make a movie where the universe is a kind of intellectual property where I can be an extreme authority,” Snyder said. “And so it allows the audience to be on a journey that is purely by design.”
“I also really enjoy this tone, where you have fun but never make fun of it,” the director continued. “Where you have the audience constantly on the edge of where the reality of the film is the cinematographic reality, but a reality that you try to reinforce. As if you put them deeper and deeper into a world that you created and begin to introduce the walls and the rules. And that seems really funny to me.
As you can see, Snyder absolutely has intention and vision with Army of the Dead and that vision is already being executed. In addition to this main film, which tells the story of a group of soldiers robbing a Las Vegas casino amid a group of evolved zombies, Snyder said they just finished production on a live-action prequel and a animated prequel. also.
“We just finished Army of Thieves, which is the movie we shot. [and] Matías [Schweighöfer] directed, ”he said. «[Matthias’ character in Army of the Dead] is the safe thief and we see his backstory, how he fell in love and became obsessed with breaking safes and why the safe in the movie is important to him which is «.
“Then we also have an animated prequel, which tells the story of where the zombies came from and what their deal is,” Snyder continued. “And he goes to Area 51 and does a lot of psychedelic craziness, which is great too. And let’s say it escalates in an unexpected way as to where the zombies are coming from.
However, let’s face it. While Snyder certainly is the man with the plan when it comes to Army of the Dead and its burgeoning universe, after the latest trailer, he’s not necessarily the star. That honor would go to the zombie tiger named Valentine.
“We really like the idea of the tiger, I really thought it was cool,” Snyder said. “It’s a bit of a MacGuffin. He tends to show up and turn things around a bit… He’s also kind of understanding in a weird way. Like there are times when he yawns or looks around and says ‘Awww’. A tiger.’ And then he reveals the other side of his face that he’s scammed. And you’re like, ‘Oh. Right. He’s a zombie. ‘
This brings things back to the beginning for Snyder; Don’t forget, his first movie was 2004’s Dawn of the Dead, one of 8 io9 horror remakes that don’t really suck, which helped usher in a new era of zombie popularity. It really seems like Army of the Dead is a combination of the undead’s past and the future of Snyder’s universe building.
The film hits select theaters on May 14 and will begin streaming on Netflix on May 21.