After a successful first film on Netflix, Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead 2 - officially titled Planet of the Dead - is not dead yet as an exciting update from the visionary filmmaker has emerged.
Army of the Dead's cliffhanger ending proved that a sequel could be in the cards, with Snyder, via ScreenRant, teasing that a follow-up would take the story "even further."
While the Army of the Dead franchise already made headway by releasing a prequel spin-off (Army of Thieves), fans are wondering when and if a sequel will be made.
Will There Be an Army of the Dead 2?
Speaking with The Nerd Queens, Army of the Dead director Zack Snyder reassured fans that the franchise is "still alive and well," but it would depend on how they would go forward with the Rebel Moon universe first before figuring out the next steps for the Planet of the Dead sequel:
“As far as the 'Army' Universe goes, it’s still alive and well in my mind. I know exactly what I would do. It really depends on how we try to figure out how we go forward with 'Rebel Moon' and [the] 'Rebel Moon' universe. It’s not a small-time commitment, the 'Rebel Moon' stuff, because a sci-fi thing at this scale does require a lot of attention to make it all make sense."
Snyder then explained why Rebel Moon's "very interconnected world" is not a "casual pursuit:"
"It’s a very interconnected world. And we’ve been doing our best to make it all make sense and there’s like magic, and madness, and all the things that are in the universe, and how they all you know coalesce is not a casual pursuit.”
Meanwhile, the filmmaker also shared an unfortunate update about Army of the Dead's animated spin-off show, Lost Vegas, noting that "it went off the rails a little bit:"
“I will say that there’s been a slight stall on the 'Lost Vegas' animated [series]. For technical reasons, it went off the rails a little bit…”
When Will Army of the Dead 2 Release on Netflix?
Although Zack Snyder confirmed that Army of the Dead 2 has not been canceled, this new update from the director could indicate that the highly-anticipated sequel with release further down the line, mainly due to his busy schedule with Rebel Moon and Rebel Moon Part 2.
Snyder's comments also hint that the Rebel Moon franchise is his priority right now, and the complexities of its own shared universe could hinder him in further developing plans for Army of the Dead 2.
Moreover, Netflix's Vice President of Original Studio Film Ori Marmur shared that Snyder created a massive world in Rebel Moon that would be "better served as two pieces versus one film. "
The Netflix executive's comments and Star Wars comparison strongly suggested that Rebel Moon is a long-term franchise, meaning that Snyder would do everything for it to be successful.
Rebel Moon is set to premiere on Netflix on December 2023, with a sequel not too far behind. It is unknown if Snyder has already begun filming for Rebel Moon Part 2, but it's possible that he hasn't yet, meaning that production could commence as early as next year (the director could be busy with post-production and marketing efforts for Part 1).
Rebel Moon's production began on April 19, 2022, with it wrapping up on December 2. If the sequel would begin filming in early 2024, then it will likely finish in the latter half of the year.
If Rebel Moon Part 2 would release on Netflix sometime in 2025 (potentially grabbing the December release timeframe), then it will likely open up Snyder's schedule to develop Army of the Dead 2 in early 2026, leading to a start of production during the same year.
That said, Army of the Dead 2 could be eyeing a 2027 release date, six years from the premiere of the first movie.
Army of the Dead is streaming now on Netflix.
