'Army Of The Dead': Netflix Is Developing A Prequel Film & Anime Series Based On Zack Snyder's New Film

It looks like we’re getting another Snyderverse. After Zack Snyder’s plans for “Justice League” and the extended DCEU fell apart after he left the film, fans’ hopes for a Snyderverse superhero universe were dashed. But according to Variety, Netflix has signed up to turn the filmmaker’s upcoming horror feature, “Army of the Dead,” into the first of an expanding cinematic universe that includes a new prequel film and a series.

Variety’s report says that Netflix is teaming up with Zack Snyder to develop a new prequel film and an anime series based on the world he introduces in the forthcoming ‘Army of the Dead.” While the exact details of “Army of the Dead” are still under wraps, we know the feature follows a group of mercenaries that are attempting some sort of heist in a zombie-filled world. The film stars Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Ana De La Reguera, Theo Rossi, Huma Qureshi, Omari Hardwick, Tig Notaro, Hiroyuki Sanada, Garret Dillahunt, Matthias Schweighöfer, Raúl Castillo, Nora Arnezeder, and Samantha Win.

The anime series, titled “Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas,” will follow the origin story of Bautista’s character and his crew during the beginning stages of the fall of Vegas after the zombie outbreak. Jay Oliva will be the showrunner for the series. The prequel film, currently untitled, will be directed by Schweighöfer, who will also star in the film, reprising his role as Ludwig Dieter. Both the anime series and prequel are set to be written by “Army of the Dead” co-writer, Shay Hatten.

“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,” Snyder said in a statement Thursday. “It’s been a great collaboration and we are thrilled that Netflix sees this as big of an IP as we do.”

Schweighöfer added, “It has already been a great pleasure to be part of this wonderful ensemble around Zack Synder — a fascinating project. I am happy that it is now being developed on so many different levels.”

As of now, “Army of the Dead,” as well as the two other projects, don’t have official release dates on Netflix.