Netflix’s next big-budget action movie is almost here: Army of the Dead from director Zack Snyder sees a squad of mercenaries battling their way into Las Vegas to pull off a massive heist. The catch is it’s set after a zombie apocalypse has ravaged the city, so instead of the usual Vegas barriers of casino security and mob bosses, the crew will have to fight through hordes of the ravenous undead to try to get the score of a lifetime.
The first trailer for Army of the Dead doesn’t show off much, but we do know that Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy) will be leading the the show. Snyder, of course, is no stranger to big action films and zombie movies, in particular, having directed the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead (as well as his long list of superhero blockbusters like Man of Steel, Watchmen, and Justice League).
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Photo by Clay Enos / Netflix
Army of the Dead, however, is a particularly notable film for Snyder, given that it’s just the second wholly original story for the director — and his first in over a decade since 2011’s Sucker Punch was released.
Netflix is also betting big on Army of the Dead kicking off a new franchise for the streaming site: in addition to the main film from Snyder, the company also is producing Army of the Dead: The Prequel, a German-American co-production directed and starring Matthias Schweighöfer (who’ll also appear in Snyder’s film.) There’s also an anime-style TV series planned, Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas, which will see several of the characters from the main film reprise their roles.
Army of the Dead will debut on Netflix on May 21st.