Zack Snyder Calls ‘Planet Of The Dead’ A “Sci-Fi Actioner With Horror Elements” With Another Possible Heist Angle

Zack Snyder and Netflix will continue their working relationship with the sci-fi film Rebel Moon, which reportedly has actress Sofia Boutella (Star Trek Beyond, Atomic Blonde, Kingsmen: The Secret Service) set for the lead female role. And there a direct sequel to Army of The Dead has been greenlit and will be shot by Snyder once he finishes up on Rebel Moon.

While speaking with Variety to help promote the prequel film Army of Thieves, Snyder dished some brief details on what they’re planning to do with the animated project Army of The Dead: Lost Vegas and the direct sequel Planet of The Dead.

“Shay [Hatten] and I have been talking about the straight sequel to Army of the Dead being possibly a sci-fi actioner with horror elements. So that’s a fun genre, probably with a heist at its center.”

While Army of The Dead very much was an horror actioner, the sci-fi stuff was on the sidelines with the hint to the time loop, the Area 51 convoy and the alien origin of the zombies not being a huge focus of the first film.

The filmmaker also zeroed in on the franchise’s sci-fi elements that could continue on.

“First of all, I know exactly what I’d want to see in the sequel. We’re doing the animated series, which will come out next year. The animated series very much delves deeply into the ‘why’ of the zombie apocalypse and where the zombies come from exactly. I think the time loops, portals, doorways to other realms, things of that nature, are very much in play. So all of those clues that Dieter gives us are very much part of how we continue to spiral out the Army of the Dead universe.”

Maybe, we’ll see a new team trying to break into an Area 51 bunker?

The Area 51 and alien origin could be excellent fodder for an Aliens-inspired zombie movie, but we’ll have to wait and see what they end up doing there. I’d personally love to see the sequel barrow elements from the arcade game Area 51 (soliders fighting zombies/aliens).

SOURCE: VARIETY

Zack Snyder’s ‘Army Of The Dead’ Sequel Is Titled ‘Planet Of The Dead’

Director Zack Snyder after exiting the DCEU has made a brand new creative home at Netflix with his films Army of The Dead and Army of Thieves (produced by Snyder), the next big project at Netflix is Rebel Moon. It’s a sci-fi action film based on his old Star Wars pitch that would have been inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai.

Netflix is keen on continuing the zombie franchise as well, as Snyder is attached to helm a sequel to Army of The Dead. He’s now confirmed to Inverse in an interview that it will be titled Planet of The Dead and alludes to Dieter potentially surviving the events of the last film.

“But the real adventure would be to see what happened to him when that safe door closed. Did he get killed by Zeus or not? What happened? We don’t see him die on camera, and there’s still some time left. I won’t tell you what happens in Army of the Dead 2 — aka Planet of the Dead — but let’s just say that there’s a chance Dieter survives. And there’s a chance that brush with death would have caused him to want to find a jailed Gwendoline.”

It’s interesting that the title refers to a “planet” as there is an alien aspect with Area 51 and the origins of the zombies expected to be non-Earthbound. Could the film go off-world or will the zombies simply overrun the entire plant? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

The filmmaker also gave a brief update on Rebel Moon.

“We’re just plugging away. It’s so huge and so crazy but really exciting, and I’m super excited as we get closer to sharing some art and casting because it’s all starting to come together.”

SOURCE: INVERSE