2021 has been a big year for director Zack Snyder, with the release of his long-awaited director's cut of Justice League and the premiere of his new movie Army of the Dead - two movies that offer a contrasting idea of Snyder's future. Justice League was meant to be the centerpiece of a broader DC universe, but the belated release of the director's cut is more of an endpoint to Snyder's unrealized vision than a new beginning. However, Army of the Dead offers the potential launching point for a new universe for Snyder.
Justice League was originally intended to be the third installment in a five-part series by Snyder that would serve as the through-line of the DC Extended Universe, following Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman. It would have been followed by a second and third Justice League movie, telling the full story of Darkseid's invasion of Earth. However, poor critical response to the first two films caused Warner Brothers to drastically change Justice League and cancel the two following Justice League movies, opting for a looser and more light-hearted universe than was originally planned.
The Netflix film Army of the Dead sees Snyder returning to the zombie genre that launched his career with the 2004 remake Dawn of the Dead. Army of the Dead tells the story of a crew of mercenaries trying to retrieve a massive stash of money from a Las Vegas vault before the city is nuked in an attempt to cut off a zombie outbreak. While the movie's title ties it to the venerable Living Dead franchise, Army of the Dead's zombies have a different origin than past installments and the movie is effectively a new universe. Many fans of Snyder's DC movies are still hopeful that the success of the new Justice League cut will allow Snyder's vision of the DC universe to continue. But Army of the Dead is a more promising avenue for a new "SnyderVerse" than Man of Steel or Batman v. Superman ever was. Through a partnership with Netflix, Snyder can create a very different version of the "cinematic universe" concept than the more traditional studios are offering.
Why Man of Steel & BvS Failed To Properly Launch The DCEU
Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman were meant to launch an interconnected film series to rival the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The two movies introduced new, darker versions of the two most iconic DC superheroes. The series was meant to gradually introduce new characters who could helm their own solo movies, such as Wonder Woman in BvS or Aquaman, The Flash, and Cyborg in Justice League. However, due to a mixture of audience backlash and changes in executive vision, this plan unraveled fairly quickly.
Despite doing well at the box office, Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman were not well-liked by critics and some superhero fans. Their serious tone, the heavy use of effects like slow motion and musical montages, and in particular the BvS plot point where Batman and Superman bond over their mothers having the same name all became the targets of online ridicule. Justice League's underwhelming theatrical gross and the success of the more light-hearted Wonder Woman caused studio executives to abandon Snyder's direction.
Warner Brothers executives were also inconsistent in their vision for the franchise and may have overreacted to online sentiment. The studio took advantage of a personal tragedy in Snyder's life to dramatically alter Justice League by adding in more humorous scenes and dialogue shot by Joss Whedon, in the process creating a muddled theatrical cut. The DC Expanded Universe has seen multiple movies canceled or drastically changed, and featured a confusing relationship between the movies and various DC television properties. In comparison to Marvel's master plans, DC has been chaotic and mercurial.
Ultimately, there was always going to be a disconnect between Snyder, who was dedicated to pursuing his own stylistic vision, and Warner Brothers, who were interested in creating a flagship property that could rival the success of the MCU. This lead to frequent clashes in direction over both Batman v. Superman and Justice League. While many have rallied behind pleas for Snyder to be able to finish his five-part superhero saga, Warner Brothers is still reportedly hostile to the idea. The recent merger between Warner and Discovery could create even more creative confusion. Even if Snyder could return to the DC Universe with studio support, his style is likely too divisive and distinct to be as central to a major studio's outlook as Snyder's DC movies were supposed to be.
How Army of the Dead Sets Up Its Own Shared Universe
Army of the Dead is a more small-scale, self-contained story than any of Snyder's DC films, telling the story of one group of people attempting a heist in the midst of a broader crisis. Despite this, it is meant to be a franchise-launching film just as much as Man of Steel. Netflix aims to capitalize on the recent publicity around Snyder and launch a new horror franchise inspired by the classic Living Dead movies.
Netflix has already announced multiple projects in the Army of the Dead universe. These include a movie - Army of Thieves - that stars Matthias Schweighofer's character, the soft-hearted safecracker Ludwig; and an animated Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas series with Snyder attached as a writer. Both projects will take place before the bulk of the action in Snyder's movie. The ending of the movie also suggests that at least one person infected by zombies is still out in the world, meaning that there is a possibility for sequels dealing with the further outbreak of the zombie disease.
The movie's title also links it to the famous Living Dead series created by George Romero. Romero's 1970s movies, most notably Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead (which Snyder remade), created the zombie genre and were known for combining horror and social commentary. Army of the Dead is not an official part of the series and features a different timeline than the nation-wide viral zombie outbreak in Romero's movies, but it still represents a kind of indirect revival of the storied franchise - and suggests just how much scope there is for a future zombie universe.
Why Army of the Dead Is Better Than Restoring the SnyderVerse
While Army of the Dead doesn't have the wealth of already-established characters that the DC Universe does, it offers Snyder much more creative freedom to craft his own universe. Netflix is known for letting its creators do what they want as long as they continue to deliver viewers. Army of the Dead received a big investment from Netflix, but it isn't expected to anchor the streaming service the way that the DC movies were meant to be a central part of Warner Brothers' business. This means that Snyder will be able to make future movies in the Army of the Dead universe without executive second-guessing.
Ultimately, Army of the Dead received mixed reviews, likely dividing audiences along similar lines as his DC movies did. But rather than this representing a crisis, it is in line with Netflix's approach of using a high number of projects to reach different audiences instead of using singular tentpole releases. This approach has seen the streaming platform become a home for divisive filmmakers from experimental creators like David Lynch and Charlie Kaufman to popular entertainers like Adam Sandler and Ryan Murphy.
In addition to corporate expectations, the heroes of the DC Universe came with decades of pre-existing fan investment and characterization by other writers. Many DC fans disliked Snyder's movies because they felt his depictions of Superman and Batman were unfaithful to the characters, in particular their attitudes towards violence and killing. With Army of the Dead, Snyder is creating his own characters, with no preconceived ideas to battle against. The looser nature of Snyder's Netflix deal means that he could also explore other original projects outside of the new franchise.
While time will tell if Army of the Dead is able to become an enduring franchise, the combination of the original material and Snyder's creative independence gives it great potential. Whereas Man of Steel and Batman V. Superman now promise a future that never happened due to executive interference, Army of the Dead could launch a better, more interesting SnyderVerse.