Time to feel old. 17 years, 17 long years have passed since Zack Snyder put the masterfully written script by James Gunn in motion images to give form to Dawn of the Dead (2004), what has been almost unanimously called the best remake of George A. Romero’s classic Dawn of the Dead (1978), the second entry of his immortal living-dead trilogy. Before getting lost in the world of DC superheroes of doubtful quality with Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and Justice League (2017), and making visually orgasmic stories like 300 (2006), Watchmen (2009), and Sucker Punch (2011), Snyder was only a music videos director whose debut feature film shooked the world of horror movies and action films in general.
Since Netflix announced they would release the sequel for Dawn of the Dead (2004), a big expectation has been placed. But, also some doubts. It is easy to assume the impact of this new movie won’t be able to overcome the one generated by the early one, but will it be at least a decent follow-up? And will Zack Snyder regain some of the credit he has lost with his DC films? Well, those doubts can be answered soon, because Army of the Dead (2021) is seeing the light this spring.
In the sequel, a group of mercenaries plots a heist on a Las Vegas casino during a zombie outbreak. Following the dawn of the zombies, the little commando takes the ultimate gamble, venturing into the quarantine zone to pull off the greatest heist ever attempted.
Due to the schedule conflict with The Suicide Squad (2021), this time James Gunn has not been in charge of the screenplay for the movie. This time, the writing credits go to director Zack Snyder together with Joby Harold, one of the writers of King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017) and the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV miniseries currently in development, and Shay Hatten, co-writer of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019).
Hiroyuki Sanada, Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Garret Dillahunt, Garret Dillahunt, Nora Arnezeder, Samantha Win, Theo Rossi, Michael Cassidy, Omari Hardwick, Tig Notaro, Matthias Schweighöfer, Lora Martinez-Cunningham, and Raúl Castillo form the main cast.
Army of the Dead (2021) is produced by The Stone Quarry, Zack Snyder’s own banner. The movie is Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore, and language throughout, some sexual content, and brief nudity/graphic nudity. Principal photography began on July 15, 2019, in Los Angeles, California, and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Filming also took place at the now-closed Atlantic Club Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Netflix has scheduled the movie for a release on May 21, 2021. Here you can watch its official first trailer.
