Summary
- Zack Snyder teases
Planet of the Dead
sequel with Omari Hardwick, causing fan excitement and celebration. -
Army of the Dead
received solid reviews but was critiqued for long runtime, pacing, and plot. - Snyder plans to balance
Army of the Dead
franchise with
Rebel Moon
, hinting at a “twisted” sequel.
Army of the Dead director Zack Snyder has offered an exciting update on his upcoming Netflix sequel, Planet of the Dead, three years after the release of the first movie. The filmmaker took to social media to share a snap of himself alongside Army of the Dead star Omari Hardwick and, after being asked by fans if this was a hint that Planet of the Dead is finally happening, Snyder replied…
“Yes I’m working on it.”
You can check out a snapshot of the brief-but-promising exchange courtesy of X/Twitter user @ovandoster, with the news no doubt causing Snyder fans everywhere to erupt into cheers of celebration.
Directed by Zack Snyder from a screenplay he co-wrote with Shay Hatten and Joby Harold, and based on an original idea from the Man of Steel filmmaker, Army of the Dead stars Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Theo Rossi, Matthias Schweighöfer, Nora Arnezeder, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tig Notaro and drops audiences into a world in which a zombie outbreak that has left Las Vegas in ruins and walled off from the rest of the world.
Related How Can Planet of the Dead Improve Upon Army of the Dead?
While Army of the Dead’s sequel is currently on hiatus, it’s a great time to look at how Planet of the Dead can improve upon its predecessor.
Bautista leads the pack as a former zombie war hero who is approached by casino boss Bly Tanaka with the ultimate proposition: break into the zombie-infested quarantine zone to retrieve $200 million sitting in a vault beneath the strip before the city is nuked by the government in 32 hours.
Featuring the sort of stylized action that fans of the director adore, Army of the Dead was met with high viewership at the time as well as pretty solid reviews from critics, who praised the humor and the original take on the undead but heavily criticized the movie’s agonizingly long runtime (148 minutes!), pacing, and plot.
What Happened to the Planned Army of the Dead Franchise?
Following a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries take the ultimate gamble, venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted. Directed by Zack Snyder.
Release Date May 21, 2021
Runtime 2hr 28min
Format Streaming
Studio Warner Bros. Pictures, Netflix, The Stone Quarry
Tagline Survivors take all
Expand
Army of the Dead was intended from the beginning as a launchpad for a new Netflix franchise, with a prequel, Army of Thieves, also landing on the streaming platform in 2021. Since then, things have gone quiet, with the planned animated series, Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas, having reportedly stalled, while the sequel, Planet of the Dead, lies dormant. Until now, of course.
Last year, Snyder explained how he would try to balance the continuing Army of the Dead franchise with his latest Netflix epic, Rebel Moon. During the explanation (via Screen Rant), Snyder also revealed that Planet of the Dead would need to be more “twisted.”
“Because Army goes completely nuts. If we were to make another Army movie other than…the Mathias [Army of Thieves] arm of Army Universe has its own thing happening, but the main trunk gets pretty twisted as it goes up. And then to have these two things, it would be nice…because you could kind of go back and forth between the two [universes].”
Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver
was released on Netflix in April, with
R-rated director’s cuts
of both
Rebel Moon – Part One
and
Part Two
set to debut on August 2, 2024.
You can view the original article HERE.
