In true Zack Snyder fashion, the filmmaker has participated in a trailer breakdown for his Netflix film Army of the Dead, revealing neat flesh-eating tidbits fans may have not known about. The Dave Bautista-led zombie flick promises to offer much more than just its all-star cast and shiny visuals.
Unfortunately, Snyder doesn’t dissect every frame of the three-minute trailer, but still manages to give some pretty insightful information to get fans riled up for the highly-anticipated release. Like the trailer, the director starts off with Bautista’s Scott Ward, a man clearly living his best life flipping burgers while Snyder sits in a greasy corner holding the camera (yes, he also serves as the film’s cinematographer). He then points out the priority of using practical effects and sets during production, including filling out an abandoned casino with slot machines and enough tables for Bautista to run on.
When it comes to the zombies themselves, smaller-scale scenes utilize that good ol’ makeup while those mega-wide shots blend reality with “99% CGI” crowds. From there, Snyder gets to the nitty-gritty of the new zombie lore, mentioning their leader Zeus (played by longtime collaborator and stuntman Richard Cetrone) and how he creates “alpha” zombies for his army.
One important aspect of the trailer Snyder mentions briefly is Tig Notaro’s unique role in the film, which only came to be well after production concluded and a pandemic hit the world. Notaro is seamlessly put into the film amongst a bevy of actors while never actually interacting with them physically. That’s a massive undertaking especially for someone adding comedic value to the project, yet it seems to be destined to pay off if the trailer is anything to go by. The comedian joins a stacked ensemble filled up by Matthias Schweighöfer, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana De La Reguera, Theo Rossi, Nora Arnezeder, Hiroyuki Sanada and Garret Dillahunt.
Army of the Dead will be available on Netflix later this month, but in an unprecedented move, the zombie flick will also release in theaters all over the country. Serving as the streaming service’s first wide theatrical release, fans will be looking forward to watching his films on the big screen after Warner Bros. opted not to go that route for Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Netflix’s confidence in the film is more apparent than ever considering Martin Scorsese barely scored a limited release for his Oscar-nominated film The Irishman. The trailer doesn’t tease an old man’s odyssey through a blood-filled life, but it should have enough zombie fun to get audiences back in theaters.
Army of the Dead hits Netflix on May 21, with a select theatrical release rolling out a week prior on May 14. Check out Snyder’s trailer breakdown for yourself below: