A sequel titled 'Planet of the Dead' is in the works.
'Army of the Dead' has left us with plenty of questions and theories, and a sequel is undoubtedly happening. Zack Snyder has already mapped out the story for the sequel, plus a prequel film focusing on the life of safecracker Ludwig is on the way. Despite getting a mixed reception from viewers and critics, 'Army of the Dead' is among the biggest Netflix releases. The movie was viewed by 72 million subscribers over its first four weeks. Let us discuss its potential return, including plot and casting predictions, easter eggs, and theories.
Even before a sequel was confirmed, we already knew that the Zack Snyder zombie film would return for more. First of all, the plot has left plenty of room and perfectly sets up the event for a sequel. We'll discuss this more in the next chapter. Zack Snyder is also very vocal about his plans for the sequel, confirming that he has already mapped out the plot for the next. In an interview with Polygon, he revealed that he has an 'insane' idea for the sequel. “Shay [Hatten, co-writer] and I know exactly what happens next,” Snyder says, “and it’s insane.”
In July 2021, the sequel was officially confirmed. It will be called 'Planet of the Dead.'
Before the official renewal announcement, Snyder had already teased the direction that his zombie heist film would take for the upcoming sequel. The ending of 'Army of the Dead' perfectly sets up the events for the sequel.
“I’d make it in a second. What we have planned is too crazy. Once we knew Vanderohe was bit, and he’s going to Mexico City, I was like, ‘You know what’s gonna happen?’ And then I just went on a tear. And by the time it ended, Shay was like, ‘OK.’” Snyder said.
Ludwig saved Vanderohe from Zeus by locking him in the vault. After the nuclear blast, Vanderohe emerges from the debris with bags of money he could carry. By this time, most of the heist team is already dead. He goes to the airport and uses the money to rent a private plane to Mexico City. Everything seemed well, and for a second, we thought he was going to be alright. Well, surprise... he isn't! When Vanderohe goes to the bathroom, he finds a zombie bite mark around his arm, which he might've unknowingly gotten during the scuffle with Zeus. Snyder explained that those who get bitten directly by the Alphas would become an Alpha zombie too.
“The way it works is that Zeus is the Alpha who comes from Area 51, he’s sort of a patient zero. If he bites you directly, you become an Alpha. Alphas are fast. They can think, they can take orders, they’re organized. We treat them like a pack of wolves, you can’t really reason or talk to them, but they certainly will circle you, they know how to fight and hunt." Snyder explained via Esquire.
Dave Bautista's Scott Ward could've been an Alpha too, but he was shot by his daughter Kate. That leaves us with Vanderohe as the next possible Alpha. Now that he is heading to Mexico, he will probably start his army of zombies there. There's also a question regarding Geeta's fate. The girl has a habit of disappearing in the film. In the final moments of the movie, Geeta is nowhere to be found after their helicopter crashes. Is she dead? Huma Qureshi, who plays the character, told Bollywood Life:
"I'll say one thing. In a horror movie, if you don't die on screen, then you're not dead," she noted.
By the end of the film, only Kate (Ella Purnell) survived, while Vanderohe (Omari Hardwick) is facing an impending zombie transformation. We could presume that the rest of the heist team is dead (including Geeta). But then again, we never saw their body.
"We don't see [Dieter] die, that's true. That's fair. You would say in a horror movie if we don't see you die, by the rules of horror...," Snyder told TheFilmJunkee.
Snyder again talked about Dieter's future in an interview with Inverse.
"Clearly, [at the end of Army of Thieves] he's used his money to open a locksmith shop wherever he is – Barstow or San Bernandino," Snyder said via Inverse. "I don't know that he's done a ton other than [accrue] a clientele. He certainly has a lot of confidence in his ability to [install] locks on their back porches.
"But the real adventure would be to see what happened to him when that safe door closed. Did he get killed by Zeus or not? What happened? We don't see him die on camera, and there's still some time left. I won't tell you what happens in Army of the Dead 2 – aka Planet of the Dead – but let's just say that there's a chance Dieter survives. And there's a chance that brush with death would have caused him to want to find a jailed Gwendoline."
There is still no release date for 'Planet of the Dead.' We likely have to wait until late 2023 or 2024 before seeing the sequel.
There are a few 'Army Of The Dead' easter eggs you might have missed when you first watched the film. A robot zombie appeared while Scott and the remaining members of the heist team tried to fight their way out of the casino. They shot the zombie in the face, revealing a metallic skull with a mechanical eye.
Snyder confirmed via Comicbook QnA that it is indeed a robot zombie.
“If you pay close attention, there is a number of zombies that are clearly not zombies. You see normal zombies, and then you see some robot zombies. Are they monitors that the government has placed among the zombies to monitor them? Are they technology from the other world? What’s happening there?”
Next, there's the theory that Scott and his team are just stuck in a time loop.
There is plenty of evidence that seems to support this theory. The corpses and decomposing skeletons are seen wearing gears similar to the members of the heist team, such as Scott's red bandana and Maria's key necklace.
Maria's necklace was particularly interesting. The skeleton's key necklace only had three holes, while the living Maria's key had four. Fans interpreted that the holes corresponded to their number of attempts in conducting the heist, which means that 'Army of the Dead' was already on the fourth time loop.
If the theories are right, this could mean that Scott and the deceased heist members could return in the sequel.
Snyder seems to indirectly support the theory, saying:
“I will also say that… there’s a chance – and I’m not saying this is 100% true, and in some ways, it’s not – but the group at the table, I mean, it’s pretty subtle, but that’s them also at the table as well as… they get farther every time … possibly… Is this the time they made it all the way to the money?” Snyder told TheFilmJunkee.
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