Army of the Dead is a 2021 American zombie heist film directed by Zack Snyder, based on a plot he also conceived and co-wrote with Shay Hatten and Joby Harold. Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Theo Rossi, Matthias Schweighöfer, Nora Arnezeder, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tig Notaro, Ral Castillo, Huma Qureshi, and Garret Dillahunt are among the cast members. It follows a squad of mercenaries planning a casino heist in Las Vegas during a zombie apocalypse.
Army of the Dead was designed as a spiritual sequel to Snyder’s debut film Dawn of the Dead, which he released in 2004. The project was first announced in 2007 by Warner Bros. Pictures, with Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. engaged to direct. However, the picture languished in development hell for several years before Netflix picked up release rights in 2019. Principal photography began in mid-2019 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Atlantic City, New Jersey, with a production budget of $70–90 million and Snyder serving as cinematographer.
After many sexual misconduct complaints were made against cast member Chris D’Elia, the film underwent reshoots in September 2020, with Notaro replacing him utilizing green screens and CGI.
With an estimated 75 million viewers, it grossed $1 million at the box office and became one of the most-watched original Netflix films. The film also created a franchise, which includes the spin-off prequel Army of Thieves, an impending anime-style series dubbed Lost Vegas, and an in-development direct sequel titled Planet of the Dead.
Also READ: Why were comedy movies popular in the 1930s?
