Summary
Zack Snyder’sArmy of the Deadfranchise has been canceled by Netflix, despite plans for several new installments and aRebel Moonconnection. Zack Snyder’s 2021 zombie apocalypse heist movieArmy of the Deadwas a fairly big hit.Army of the Deadhad a star-studded cast, a popular director, and a novel combination of the zombie and heist movie genres. It had quite a few things going for it, and it seemed to have legs to become a long-running franchise, but those plans have recently been scrapped.
Army of the Deadwas meant to be the first film inZack Snyder’s zombie universe, and it set up that franchise in a few key ways.The ending ofArmy of the Deadset up the rest of the franchise, and even the beginning of the film showed that there were several prequels that could have been made. It now seems that none of those stories will be told, as Snyder himself has revealed the fate of theArmy of the Deadfranchise.
Zack Snyder Explains Why There Will Never Be A Director’s Cut Of His 2021 Netflix Movie
Director Zack Snyder explains why there is no need for a director’s cut of his 2021 Netflix zombie movie Army of the Dead despite his track record.
Netflix now seems to have quietlycanceled theArmy of the Deadfranchise, despite plans to continue expanding it.That news came from Zack Snyder and his wife and co-producer, Deborah, instead of an official announcement from Netflix, so it seems the streamer was trying to let the franchise’s end go unnoticed. Prior to the couple’s announcement, Netflix had mostly succeeded in that goal. The most recent movie in theArmy of the Deadfranchise,Army of Thieves, was released in 2021, and its future projects went unfinished.
Before its cancelation, Snyder himself called the future of theArmy of the Deadfranchise “very ambitious”. The next project would have been the animated spinoff seriesArmy of the Dead: Lost Vegasthat was set to release in spring 2022. Snyder describedLost Vegasas a prequel that would have given some background information on a few ofArmy of the Dead’s main cast during the beginning of the zombie outbreak.After the animated series, the franchise’s future was less defined, though there were plans for additional films, most likely at least a direct sequel to the originalArmy of the Deadmovie.
Everything We Know About Army Of The Dead: Lost Vegas
Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead is getting an anime spinoff titled Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas. Here’s what to expect from the Netflix prequel series.
Army of the Deadwas also supposed to take place in the same universe as Snyder’s other franchise,Rebel Moon.OneRebel Mooncharacter was fromArmy of the Dead: Lost Vegas, and she actually would have been a fairly important character in the animated series.Snyder explained that the zombie virus inArmy of the Deadwould have come from thatRebel Mooncharacter’s home planet, which would have opened the door to a future crossover between the two franchises. WhileArmy of the Dead’s future projects have been shelved, aspects of it could survive inRebel Moon, thanks to that hidden connection.
Though there’s a connection betweenArmy of the DeadandRebel Moon, Snyder’s newest franchise may have contributed to the cancelation of the former.Neither Netflix nor Snyder have given a definitive reason forArmy of the Dead’s cancelation yet, andRebel Mooncould have had a hand in it. It’s possible that Snyder simply didn’t have time forArmy of the Deadanymore, given hisplan to make sixRebel Moonmoviesin total. Snyder has also describedRebel Moonas one of his greatest passion projects in the past, meaning he may have just wanted to make it more than he didArmy of the Dead.
Rebel Moon
Rebel Moon is a multi-media franchise created by Zack Snyder that begins with the first film, Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire, released in 2023. The franchise follows a woman named Kora, who once worked for an authoritarian regime that now dominates the universe. To atone for the crimes she was complicit in, Kora heads across the galaxy to gather a team to fight back and free their worlds.
It’s also possible that Netflix pulled the plug onArmy of the DeadafterRebel Moon’s lackluster reception, as the first two parts were both amongSnyder’s lowest rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes.Those review scores might have undermined Netflix’s faith in Snyder, and instead of canceling a franchise that had just begun and was still actively getting millions of streams, it canceled the less currentArmy of the Deadinstead.Army of the Deadis already four years old, and it would have been much more difficult to build excitement for it than for a new installment ofRebel Moon, regardless of critical reception.
Army of Thieves
Cast
Army of Thieves is the 2021 prequel to Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead. Starring Matthias Schweighöfer, who also serves as the director, this heist comedy centers around Ludwig Dieter’s quest to crack a series of legendary safes alongside a team of most-wanted criminals across Europe. It takes place at the exact same time the zombie apocalypse begins, back when Dieter was still known as Sebastian Schlencht-Wöhnert.
While it’s very possible thatRebel Mooncontributed toArmy of the Dead’s cancelation, there were other factors that were just as important. The firstArmy of the Deadspinoff,Army of Thieves, received fairly average reviews, but it wasn’t as popular as the original.Netflix may have viewed the lack of excitement aroundArmy of Thievesas an indication that fans weren’t interested in a larger franchise and preemptively scrapped future projects.Army of Thievesalso wasn’t directed by Zack Snyder, so Netflix may have decided that Snyder himself was more valuable and popular than theArmy of the Deadfranchise.
The most likely explanation forArmy of the Dead’s cancelation is a combination of several different factors. Zack Snyder’s own personal goals for his career, his passion forRebel Moon, and Netflix’s business interests were probably enough to endArmy of the Deadbefore it could turn into a fully-fledged franchise. As a standalone franchise,Army of the Deadseems to be done, but it could still live on in some way through Zack Snyder’s future projects.
Army of the Dead
Inspired by the works of George A. Romero and John A. Russo, Army of the Dead is a multimedia franchise helmed by Zack Snyder. The series centers on various mercenaries and bystanders who must endure the chaos of an undead apocalypse, beginning with the first film, where the cast must perform a dangerous heist in the heart of a zombie-infested Las Vegas.
