Netflix are clearly betting big on Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead being a success, with a prequel already having been filmed long before the opener premieres next month, while animated companion series Lost Vegas is also in the works. It’s a unique situation, because there can’t have been many times where a brand new property has its next installment completed and waiting in the wings before the first movie even arrives, but as of yet, the streamer hasn’t confirmed when the prequel will be released.
The zombie genre typically tends to involve sprawling ensemble casts that slowly get whittled down in number as the plot progresses, so there are no guarantee that there’s even going to be anyone left to headline a second outing, but one of the other benefits of an undead pic is that the virus at the center opens itself up to many different storytelling avenues that can literally take place anywhere around the world.
Snyder is clearly relishing the creative freedom he’s been given by Netflix to craft his first non-DCEU effort in a decade and just the second entry in his filmography that isn’t based on pre-existing source material. The director invests an awful lot of time and effort into his worldbuilding, too, so it’s hardly shocking to discover that he’s firmly on board with the idea of returning to the Army of the Dead well, as he admitted in a new interview when asked if he wanted to make a sequel.
“Well, absolutely. But can I? I don’t think I’m allowed to say that. I don’t think that’s, like, a thing. They like, you know, that’s like, but suffice it to say that, yes, I am very excited. If it were possible, or if anyone was interested in it to continue the adventures of this world will be fun. So no, man, zombie oyster. These oysters can become zombies.”
Looking at the hugely enthusiastic response to the full-length trailer and the built-in goodwill that’s carried over from HBO Max’s Justice League, Army of the Dead is poised to be a monster hit for Netflix. Throw in the prequel and animated spinoff, and the stage is already more than set for a franchise.