I was in hog heaven back in May 2021 when Army of the Dead, Zack Snyder’s spiritual successor to his -- in my opinion, great -- Dawn of the Dead remake. I must have watched the popular Netflix original movie a handful of times in the weeks that followed its release as I eagerly awaited more from what I thought was going to be the next great zombie apocalypse film franchise.
Yet here I am three years later with only a prequel (Army of Thieves) and unfulfilled promises. At this point, I’m not sure if the planned Planet of the Dead sequel or Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas animated series will ever actually happen at this point. And honestly, I’m kind of upset about it.
Come with me as I explore what’s been said about the two planned zombie projects that may or may not be dead and buried and why I’m way too worked up about it all.
It Seemed Like Both The Sequel And Animated Series Had A Lot Of Momentum Before Sputtering Out, Which Has Me Really Worried
Not even two months after the Army of the Dead ending teased the start of a global zombie pandemic, we learned that a sequel was in the works, which was later given the title Planet of the Dead. At the time, I thought it wouldn’t be long before we saw what Zack Snyder had in store for us with the highly-anticipated sequel, yet the movie, or any concrete information about it, has yet to materialize, and there hasn't been much conversation about it.
The same can be said about the animated Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas series, which was announced by Variety back in September 2020. In an interview with Total Film (via GamesRadar) in November 2023, Snyder said the scripts, voices, and animatics had all been completed. However, when speaking with the outlet (via GamesRadar) the following month, Snyder referred to the series in the past tense several times, saying things like "we were working on" and "was pretty cool," which has me has me worried about its future.
Zack Snyder Has Seemingly Moved On To Other Projects Like Rebel Moon And Twilight Of The Gods
I should be happy that Zack Snyder is still working on film and TV projects for Netflix, and I am, but I’m still peeved that the Army of the Dead franchise is being left on the sidelines (and possibly in an early grave) so that Rebel Moon and the upcoming Twilight of the Gods can pretty much take its place.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the Rebel Moon movies, but with Zack Snyder reportedly having plans for at least six films in that franchise, according to Collider, it doesn’t look like we’re going to be seeing any Army of the Dead sequels for a very long time. However, Sndyer did tell Looper in April 2024 that he wanted to further explore his Army universe since it was so “rich and fun.”
But at the same time, I'm concerned Snyder is going to be too wrapped up in getting his new animated series off the ground and whatever else Netflix has in store with the Rebel Moon franchise to dedicate much time to a return to the zombie genre.
I Thought Army Of The Dead And Its Prequel, Army Of Thieves, Were A Ton Of Fun, And Laid The Groundwork For A Great Franchise
As you can probably tell by now, I thoroughly enjoyed both Army of the Dead and its prequel, Army of Thieves, for a myriad of reasons. To save us all some time, I’ll limit this discussion to how both movies laid the groundwork for what could be a great franchise. Do I think it could be on the level of George A. Romero’s Dead series? No, not really, but I do think that Snyder has a lot to offer the zombie genre, both in terms of story and the spectacle of his unique sense of style, if he’s given more time to cook, so to speak.
Watching Army of the Dead, it’s not hard to tell that Snyder put a lot of love into his return to the genre, so much so that I think there’s a ton of story that has yet to be explored. We thought he was making a movie, but he was instead creating the first chapter in a long story filled with three-dimensional characters (both living and undead), a really cool concept, and Snyder’s distinct style. If that promise is left unfulfilled and the filmmaker’s dream of a multi-part saga never materializes, I’m just going to make a movie of my own called Bummer City of the Dead.
Zack Snyder Is A Great Zombie Movie Director, But Now I'm Afraid We'll Never See Another Undead Film From Him
I am fully aware that Zack Snyder wants to continue his Army of the Dead franchise, but with the way Netflix has been handling everything, I’m not sure if that will happen. And the planned Planet of the Dead doesn’t get made and Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas never gets released, I’m afraid we’ll never see another undead film from the filmmaker who kickstarted his career by adapting one of George A. Romero’s best movies 20 years ago this past spring.
And what a bummer that would be. This isn’t to say that there aren’t other good zombie movie directors out there, because the genre has seen some of the best additions in recent years. However, as great as Train to Busan, The Dead Don’t Die, and Little Monsters were, none were as popular or had the reach as Snyder’s Army of the Dead.
But Who Knows, Maybe Six Flags' Fright Fest Extreme Program Means The Franchise Isn't Totally Dead Yet
While there has been no movement for Planet of the Dead or the Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas animated series, there is going to be a new addition to the franchise, just not how I wanted or originally thought. Six Flags has announced that its Fright Fest Extreme offerings this fall will include an Army of the Dead attraction at select parks around the country.
The new attraction pretty much sounds like an escape room made to look like a decimated Las Vegas that has been filled with zombies for an extra layer of tension and terror. Other attractions are based on Stranger Things, The Conjuring, Saw, and a few others. This sounds cool, but more Army of the Dead movies sounds a whole lot cooler, if I’m being honest.
I guess I’m going to have to accept the fact the Army of the Dead franchise might dead and buried for now. While I come to terms with this, there are some great upcoming Netflix releases that I can use with my Netflix subscription for the time being, including some fun zombie flicks.
