Zack Snyder's zombie heist action movie Army Of The Dead doesn't even have an official release date on Netflix yet, but the streaming service is already planning to expand the world of the film, with a prequel movie and anime spin-off series in the works.
Army Of The Dead, written by Snyder, Shay Hatten and Joby Harold, finds Ella Purnell’s Kate headed into a dangerous, quarantined Las Vegas, site of a zombie outbreak, intending to discover the source of the undead problem.
When she becomes trapped in the zone, her dad Scott (Dave Bautista) assembles a group of mercenaries to help rescue her, with the gang tempted by the chance to rob the casinos while they’re there.
The cast also includes Omari Hardwick, Theo Rossi, Garret Dillahunt, Raül Castillo, Ana de la Reguera, Matthias Schweighöfer and Tig Notaro, who replaces Chris D'Elia, removed from the film under a cloud of sexual misconduct allegations.
Schweighöfer, who has form as a producer, writer and director, will make the prequel, following his character, Ludwig Dieter, before the events of Dead, with Hatten writing the script. "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," says Snyder. "It’s been a great collaboration and we are thrilled that Netflix sees this as big of an IP as we do."
The anime series, Army Of The Dead: Lost Vegas, chronicles the origin story of Scott and his rescue crew during the initial fall of Vegas as they confront the mysterious source of the zombie outbreak. Snyder will direct two episodes, while Jay Oliva will be show-running and directing two more episodes. De la Reguera, Notaro, Hardwick and Purnell will all voice their characters in the show.