Army of the Dead (2021)

***Army of the Dead*** is a 2021 American zombie heist film directed by Zack Snyder, from a script he wrote with Shay Hatten and Joby Harold, based on a story by Snyder. The film stars Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Ana de la Reguera, Garret Dillahunt, Raúl Castillo, Omari Hardwick, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tig Notaro and Matthias Schweighöfer.

*Army of the Dead* was released on Netflix on May 21, 2021.

## Storyline

### Plot

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.

### Genres

* Action
* Crime
* Horror
* Sci-Fi
* Thriller

### Motion Picture Rating

* **R18+** (Australia)
* **18** (Brazil)
* **R** (Canada)
* **15** (Colombia)
* **16** (Germany)
* **16** (Hungary)
* **18** (India)
* **VM14** (Italy)
* **R** (Japan)
* **R** (Mexico)
* **16** (Netherlands)
* **R16** (New Zealand)
* **16** (Norway)
* **R21** (Singapore)
* **18** (Spain)
* **18+** (Turkey)
* **18** (UK)
* **R** (USA)
* **C18** (Vietnam)

## Cast and Crew

### Writing Credits

* Zack Snyder (screenplay by) and
* Shay Hatten (screenplay by)
* Zack Snyder (story by) and
* Joby Harold (screenplay)

### Cast

* Dave Bautista - Scott Ward
* Ella Purnell - Kate Ward
* Ana de la Reguera - Cruz
* Garret Dillahunt - Frank Peters
* Raúl Castillo - Mikey Guzman
* Omari Hardwick - Vanderohe
* Tig Notaro - Marianne Peters
* Nora Arnezeder - Lily "The Coyote"
* Matthias Schweighöfer - Ludwig Dieter
* Samantha Win - Chambers
* Theo Rossi - Burt Cummings
* Huma Qureshi - Geeta
* Hiroyuki Sanada - Hunter Bly
* Richard Cetrone - Zeus
* Michael Cassidy
* Chelsea Edmundson - Misty Hillman
* Steve Corona - Mr. Hillman

### Producers

* Misha Bukowski (associate producer)
* Wesley Coller (producer) (p.g.a.)
* Deborah Snyder (producer) (p.g.a.)
* Zack Snyder (producer) (p.g.a.)
* Bergen Swanson (executive producer)

## Details

### Release Dates

* May 21, 2021 (Argentina) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Australia) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Belgium) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Brazil) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Canada) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Colombia) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Germany) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Spain) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (France) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (UK) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Hungary) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (India) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Italy) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Japan) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Mexico) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Netherlands) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Norway) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Poland) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Portugal) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Romania) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Sweden) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Singapore) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (Turkey) (internet)
* May 21, 2021 (USA) (internet)

### Trailer Release Dates

* Trailer 1 - February 25, 2021
* Trailer 2 - April 13, 2021

## Production

The project was first announced in March 2007. Universal Pictures and Warner Bros Pictures were originally on board to co-produce the project. Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. signed to serve as director. By January 2019, after lingering in development hell for a number of years, Netflix acquired the distribution rights from Warner Bros. with Zack Snyder directing. The filmmaker also serves as co-screenwriter with Shay Hatten, based on the story treatment by Snyder and Joby Harold. The film entered principal photography in mid-2019, with a reported budget of $90 million.

### Casting

Dave Bautista was cast in April 2019, while Ella Purnell, Ana de la Reguera, Theo Rossi, and Huma Qureshi joined the cast in May.

In July 2019, Garret Dillahunt, Raúl Castillo, Omari Hardwick, Chris D'Elia, Hiroyuki Sanada, Nora Arnezeder, Matthias Schweighöfer, Samantha Jo and Rich Cetrone joined the cast of the film. In August 2020, Tig Notaro was announced to replace D'Elia. Notaro will be inserted into the film through a combination of reshooting scenes opposite an acting partner and also using digital composition to insert her into the scene.

### Filming

Principal photography began on July 15, 2019, in Los Angeles, California, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Filming also took place at the now closed Atlantic Club Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

### Post-production

By March 2021, Snyder confirmed that work on the film had officially been completed.

## Reception

### Critical response

The film has a 5.9 rating on IMDb and a 69% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

## Company Credits

### Production Companies

* Netflix
* The Stone Quarry

### Special Effects

* Crafty Apes
* Fractured FX
* Framestore (visual effects)
* Instinctual VFX
* Mammal Studios (visual effects)

## Trivia

* This is Zack Snyder's second zombie apocalyptic horror film after *Dawn of the Dead* (2004), his directorial debut.
* This is Zack Snyder's first non-superhero film that he directed since *Sucker Punch* (2011).
* This is Zack Snyder's second film based on an original concept by himself, after *Sucker Punch* (2011).
* This is Zack Snyder's second film made for a streaming service, after *Zack Snyder's Justice League* (2021), which was released on HBO Max.