Back in 2004, the scariest take on zombies in movie history arrived on-screen by way of Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead. A remake of the George A. Romero classic, Dawn depicted zombies the way they were meant to be: a genuine threat. The zombies ran like Olympic sprinters and devoured flesh in frenzied attacks. "It made sense to me," Snyder tells Men's Health over Zoom. "If they can move a little, why can't they move on a lot?" Now, Snyder is asking a more terrifying question in Netflix's new Army of the Dead: if they can move a lot, why the hell can't they mobilize?
Starring Dave Bautista, Omari Hardwick, and Tig Notaro (and directed, co-written, and produced by Snyder), the "zombie heist" film introduces a brand new category of zombie—faster, smarter, and more cunning. They've taken over Las Vegas and they're looking to zombify more humans. We spoke to Snyder about the origin story of his zombie movie, plans for a prequel series, and how real-life politics inspired scenes in the film.
Hi Zack. I really enjoyed Army because the zombies aren't just eating people. Do you think their intent is to take over the world?
It's funny. Zeus is selective about who he turns into an Alpha. They bring him Cummings, and he's like, okay, Cummings is fine. But also, when we see the zombie baby, I think the implication is that they no longer need us to procreate. In my mind, they're just there to replace us.