Zack Snyder ‘revolutionizes’ zombie genre in Army of the Dead

MANILA, Philippines — Zack Snyder has declared his zombie-heist film Army of the Dead as his most satisfying cinematic experience.

The 55-year-old US filmmaker said that every bit of the movie-making process from writing the script to becoming the director of photography on set — was a “real joy”.

Army of the Dead marks Zack’s return to the genre after 17 years. In fact, he created the first draft a decade ago, with the idea first coming to him right after he made his directorial debut via Dawn of the Dead, a remake of the George A. Romero classic of the same title, in 2004.

“I had so much fun with the genre and thinking about the tropes of the genre, and it just really got into my head that I should try to push those tropes even further,” the filmmaker said.

According to Zack, that idea never went away, even as he got busier, did other hit films and became an in-demand director of comic-book movie adaptations (300, Zack Snyder’s Justice League). If there were any alterations to the earlier version, it would be that the original story was more violent, and Army of the Dead has slightly gone the direction of a family dama reflective as well of Zack’s current stage in life as a father.

And when he had the chance to present it to Netflix, the streaming giant welcomed his crazy idea about a zombie apocalypse that gets one quarantined in casino land that is Las Vegas.

As the production notes put it: Army of the Dead is set following a zombie outbreak that has left Las Vegas in ruins and walled off from the rest of the world. When Scott Ward (Dave Bautista), a displaced Vegas local, former zombie war hero who’s now flipping burgers on the outskirts of the town he now calls home, is approached by casino boss Bly Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada), it’s with the ultimate proposition: Break into the zombie-infested quarantine zone to retrieve $200 million sitting in a vault beneath the strip before the city is nuked by the government in 32 hours. Driven by the hope that the payoff could help pave the way to a reconciliation with his estranged daughter Kate (Ella Purnell), Ward takes on the challenge, assembling a ragtag team of experts for the heist.

In the film, Dave’s character, et al. will have to deal with a new breed of smarter, fiercer and deadlier zombies led by Alpha Zombie Zeus.

“I love the deconstruction of the genre. I love the tone. So, I get a huge satisfaction out of this kind of movie, where you can really push the tones so far that you could almost break it,” Zack told The Philippine STAR and other select press in a recent virtual interview about the kick he gets out of exploring the zombie gene. He is soon to expand this Army of the Dead world with the animé series Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas and the movie prequel Army of the Thieves.

“I love self-awareness in movies. And I think that you can’t really do it more than in a really pure genre film… Literally, it’s the sophistication of being able to bend it so far, but not let the audience off the hook. In the end, you need them to believe the drama of Dave’s character and his interaction with his daughter and all that. But at the same time, you’re having so much fun with this weird zombie world. It’s the mix that I find really fun and satisfying. It’s a cool world to play around.”

Zack talked more about digging into all the tropes and having fun with the zombie genre in the virtual chat. Read on.

On wearing multiple hats in the film besides being its director:

“I was a director (of photography), a cameraman for years in commercials before I started making movies. That part of the job, I was comfortable with, but I wasn’t sure how it was gonna work in a movie and whether or not it would be too much. But it turned out to be really an incredibly rewarding and satisfying experience to shoot the movie, as well as direct for a bunch of reasons.

“And I would say, one of the most satisfying parts was that, you know, the actors were just... because I was operating the cameras as well, the actors were just here (in front of me), right? So, normally when you make a movie, you’re way over, far away with all the TV monitors, you know, in a tent or something, you don’t even know where they are. But this was just much more intimate. I wanted the movie to feel more intimate, and kind of smaller because I really wanted the character moments and everything to feel really personal. And so I think that was really challenging, but in the end really satisfying.”

On choosing a diverse cast and Dave Bautista as his film’s lead star:

“I did want a diverse cast. And part of it is because I wanted to do this social commentary about immigration and, especially when we filmed the movie, about this sort of vilification of the immigrant and all these kinds of things, and how policies can change and things like that. And I just felt like that was a cool message.

“And, the ways zombie movies confront these social issues are also part of the genre as well. And so I wanted that to be part of it. Also, our film takes place kind of in the southwest of America, where the border influence is really strong. I just really wanted to be able to represent not only people of color, but just different countries of origin as well.

“Yes, I know Dave is Filipino. The thing about Dave is that… look, Dave’s a big guy and he’s very physical. But he also has this vulnerability and I needed him to have this kind of sadness in this vulnerability. And in just talking to him about it, I think that he really wanted to do this. Because it’s not a small acting role. His character has to go on a big journey — really emotionally. And Dave was up to the challenge and I was certain he could do it.

“So, it was really that kind of naivete and that innocence. But also that hard persona that really drew me to him. And I’ve always been a fan of his.”

Zack (rightmost) on Filipino-American actor and former wrestler Dave Bautista, who leads the cast of his film: He’s a big guy, but he also has this vulnerability. And in just talking to him about it, I think he really wanted to do this. Because it’s not a small acting role. His character has to go on a big journey emotionally.

On the introduction of the Alpha zombies from the zombie king Zeus, to a pregnant zombie, to zombie tiger in the film:

“I really wanted just the suggestion that the zombies were going to be no longer reliant on us as fuel for the spread of their kind. You know, that is like a real revolution or rebellion in the genre. If the zombies and my zombies, in particular, were able to procreate on their own, that really changes everything, you know. I don’t know but it’s interesting, it’s almost like the dawn of its species… And I wanted Zeus really motivated at the end of the movie and it was clear. And the zombie tiger, I always just (had) this notion that there would be zombie animals.”

On the possibility of a “mashup” between zombies and the superheroes of his films:

“Sure, zombie Batman is great (laughs). I’ve seen that, it’s in canon. You don’t have to look very far to find a really good zombie Batman, really good zombie Superman. So yeah, that would be fun.”

(Army of the Dead premieres on Netflix May 21.)