Before Zack Snyder started the world of Rebel Moon on Netflix, he first built the universe of Army of the Dead. A successor to his 2004 debut film, Dawn of the Dead, the 2021 post-apocalyptic zombie heist movie spawned a franchise that included a spin-off prequel, Army of the Thieves, and the planned direct sequel, Planet of the Dead. However, it looks like Army of the Thieves would be the last installment to this franchise as Netflix reportedly “quietly” canceled Army of the Dead sequels and the animated series, Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas.
While Zack was talking about the recently released Rebel Moon director’s cut in an interview with The Wrap, it was noted that Army of the Dead had an ambitious plan, with several sequels and spin-offs in the works. However, the publication later revealed that Netflix “quietly canceled” its animated series, Lost Vegas, alongside the subsequent films. But that didn’t stop the renowned filmmaker from being ambitious about his projects.
“We are very ambitious with everything,” he said.
In fact, Army of the Dead isn’t entirely canned as it will continue in a different form. Zack’s wife and producing partner, Deborah Snyder, claimed a themed experience based on the movie would be coming to the Six Flags theme parks this Halloween.
“It’s going to be a really cool experience,” she teased.
Though Zack occasionally gave updates about the continuation of his Army of the Dead universe, nothing has come to fruition yet. The director is expected to focus on this franchise after releasing his two Rebel Moon films and its director’s cut versions. But with this latest news, it looks like this project will never see the light of day.
Zack Snyder’s Plans for His Army of the Dead Universe
After leaving DC following the release of the Justice League director’s cut in 2021, Zack started his own cinematic universe on Netflix. Army of the Dead became one of the most-watched original movies on the streamer, with over 72 million within a month of release. With the positive reception, the sequel, Planet of the Dead, was planned and said to be in development.
However, that project was put on hold until he finished Rebel Moon. So, instead of switching to developing the two movies, he chose to complete his epic space opera film first. Despite that, he teased in an interview with BadTaste in May 2021 that the “scale of the movie would inevitably increase.”
In addition, before Army of the Dead was released, the prequel animated series Lost Vegas was already planned. It was supposed to see the start of the zombie outbreak but was also stalled due to Rebel Moon. But despite being put on a pause, Zack told Game Radar in December 2023 that Lost Vegas was revived and the whole thing was already recorded.
“We recorded all the voices – Christian Slater, all these cool people. Super fun,” he said.
As of this writing, neither Netflix nor Zack has addressed the alleged cancellation of the Army of the Dead universe. The mixed reviews Rebel Moon receives may have affected the continuation of his post-apocalyptic zombie projects, considering it’s an expensive franchise.
