Army of the Dead
Army of the Dead is a 2021 American post-apocalyptic zombie heist film directed by Zack Snyder from a screenplay he co-wrote with Shay Hatten and Joby Harold, based on a story he also created.The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Theo Rossi, Matthias Schweighöfer, Nora Arnezeder, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tig Notaro, Raúl Castillo, Huma Qureshi, and Garret Dillahunt.With a US$70–90 million production budget and Snyder also serving as cinematographer, principal photography took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Atlantic City, New Jersey, in mid-2019.The film underwent reshoots in September 2020 after several sexual misconduct allegations were made against cast member Chris D'Elia; he was replaced by Tig Notaro using green screens and CGI.The film also spawned a franchise consisting of the spin-off prequel Army of Thieves; and a direct sequel titled Planet of the Dead which is in development.Ward agrees and recruits his former teammates Maria Cruz and Vanderohe, along with helicopter pilot Marianne Peters, German safecracker Ludwig Dieter, and Chicano sharpshooter Mikey Guzman, who brings along his associate Chambers.After an encounter with a zombified tiger upon entering Las Vegas, Lilly wounds Cummings and explains that a group of "Alphas" (intelligent zombies) will allow safe passage in exchange for a sacrifice.[4] On March 25, 2007, Warner Bros. Pictures announced it would produce the zombie film Army of the Dead, based on a story by Zack Snyder and using a screenplay written by Joby Harold.In a statement, Snyder said he wanted the film to feel similar to his previous projects Dawn of the Dead (2004) and 300 (2007) and that it would center around a father in Las Vegas "who tries to save his daughter from imminent death in a zombie-infested world."[8][9] In June 2008, Dutch commercial director and visual artist Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. was signed on to the project to make his feature directorial debut."[13] After a failed attempt from Legendary Entertainment to produce it,[14] Netflix acquired the distribution rights to the project in January 2019, now described as a zombie heist film, with Snyder attached to direct.Snyder recalled a meeting where he spoke about several screenplays he was working on, and after mentioning Army of the Dead, Netflix head of original films Scott Stuber told him to "Go write that movie and let's make it.[18] In joining the film, Bautista said his initial reaction to the offer was a clear "no," as the actor was searching for dramatic roles, but wanting to work with Snyder and having read the screenplay, he changed his mind and agreed to star."[19] The following month, Ella Purnell, Ana de la Reguera, Theo Rossi, and Huma Qureshi were cast, and character descriptions were released.[20][21] In July 2019, Omari Hardwick, Chris D'Elia, Hiroyuki Sanada, Garret Dillahunt, Raúl Castillo, Nora Arnezeder, Matthias Schweighöfer, Samantha Win, and Richard Cetrone were all announced as part of the cast.[27] Bautista also noted the filmmaker's direction and said that as the cameraman, Snyder would spend a lot of time shooting scenes from different angles, capturing hours of footage that included simply facial expressions, and would sometimes "go off on his own and start filming whatever he wants.As a result, Taormina and about a dozen VFX still photographers spent 12 days using scissor lifts, drones, and a Phase One camera attached to a helicopter to capture the footage and create a 3D model of the area, using LiDAR scanning, that was implemented during filming and post-production.[46] The marketing campaign from Netflix for Army of the Dead began on January 6, 2021, when "exclusive" images of the film were released and Snyder described it as a "full-blown, balls-to-the-wall zombie heist movie.[48][49] As the film received an "R" rating from the Motion Picture Association, /Film expressed their reaction to the promotional content by writing that they were "very interested in seeing [Snyder] return to the world of zombies.Snyder has become a lightning rod for hot takes in recent years, and whether or not you think that's deserved, it is nice to remember that he thrives in big, loud, glorious nonsense.[56] Additionally, Ben Pearson from /Film said that the trailer showed that Snyder was "completely unleashed here, free to tell an absolutely insane-looking heist story," compared it to Hell or High Water (2016), and wrote that it "looks like a total blast."[57] Shortly after, the trailer went viral, and Notaro was invited to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon after her appearance as the cigar-smoking Marianne Peters received positive remarks on social media.[60] To access the footage, viewers around the world were invited to watch a live stream on YouTube showing construction workers digging for, finding, and blowing up a vault buried in a desert.The figure was below industry projections, which had estimated a $1.5–2 million debut based on pre-sales, but had a better theatrical opening for a Netflix film compared to the $200,000 earned by Roma in 2018.The website's critical consensus reads, "An ambitious, over-the-top zombie heist mashup, Army of the Dead brings Zack Snyder back to his genre roots with a suitably gory splash."[86] Owen Gleiberman from Variety had a similar response, lauding it for being able to tackle several genres concurrently while also stating that it lacked substance, like "good diner food served with extra ketchup.[89] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three stars out of four, noting its excess of "horrific bloodshed", but wrote that it was an "extremely well-executed entry in the [zombie] genre with some wickedly sharp humor and the obligatory heartfelt family reconciliation moments sprinkled among the exploding heads and dripping entrails".When asked about the series, Ana de la Reguera said that "you'll get to learn what's Cruz's backstory, how she and Dave Bautista's character, Scott Ward, met, what we were doing before."[102] Producer Deborah Snyder implied that the sequel could be set in New Mexico, an "intentional" choice, and said that there was "still more story to tell, and I know that Zack and Shay have a lot of ideas that are kind of fleshed out.
Army of the Dead (franchise)Army of the Dead (2008 film)Zack SnyderShay HattenJoby HaroldDeborah SnyderDave BautistaElla PurnellOmari HardwickAna de la RegueraTheo RossiMatthias SchweighöferNora ArnezederHiroyuki SanadaTig NotaroRaúl CastilloHuma QureshiGarret DillahuntDody DornTom HolkenborgThe Stone QuarryNetflixpost-apocalypticzombieheist filmensemble castLas Vegaszombie apocalypsespiritual successorDawn of the DeadWarner Bros. PicturesMatthijs van Heijningen Jr.development hellprincipal photographyAlbuquerque, New MexicoAtlantic City, New JerseyChris D'Eliagreen screens94th Academy AwardsOscars Fan FavoritefranchiseArmy of ThievesU.S. militaryArea 51casinomercenarytactical nuclear strikequarantinesmugglergrenadesshock waveMexico CitySamantha WinSean SpicerDonna Brazilezombie filmorigin storyNight of the Living Dead seriesGeorge A. Romeromade by committeefeature directorial debutfinancial crisis of 2007–2008Legendary EntertainmentThe Hollywood ReporterScott StuberThe Suicide SquadDigital Spy[James Gunn]safecrackerAlbuquerque StudiosAtlantic Club Casino HotelShowboat Atlantic CityLos Angeles, Californiacinematographerdigital camerasRed Digital CinemaCanon 50mmrangefindercameramanCOVID-19 pandemicvisual effects supervisorLas Vegas Stripstill photographersLiDAR scanningCarole BaskinTiger KingBig Cat RescueTampa, Floridawhite tigersArmy of the Dead (soundtrack)Reddit AMAMilan RecordsElvis PresleyViva Las VegasRichard CheeseAllison CroweMotion Picture AssociationDeadline HollywoodOcean's ElevenColliderKenny RogersThe GamblerHell or High WaterLumberjack matchDamian PriestThe MizNew York PostThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonmarketing stuntYouTubeprofessional wrestlerpay-per-viewWWE NetworkWrestleMania BacklashCinemarkThe Midnight SkyMa Rainey's Black BottomThe Christmas Chronicles 2making-of documentaryProject PowerNielsendead pixelsreview aggregatorRotten TomatoesMetacriticweighted average