Zack Snyder planted the seeds for an extensive franchise filled with sequels, prequels, and spinoffs in Army of the Dead. The zombie flick offered Snyder the opportunity to explore original ideas without the difficulties of studio intervention or the responsibility that established properties like Superman and the Justice League often entail. Clearly, Snyder used this level of freedom to craft an enthralling zombie mythos and a lived-in dystopian world with lots of interesting characters and mysteries.
The choice to link the origin of the zombie outbreak to the infamous Area 51, as well as the choice to set the story long after the virus started spreading, allows Army of the Dead to set up future stories in the same world. Two related projects are already set to release soon: the Army of Thieves prequel movie and the Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas anime spinoff. These two installments are expected to answer many questions and pose even more, but they're not the only titles the franchise can release in the future.
Since Army of the Dead is an original story, future stories could follow the most unexpected characters or use the strangest formats. But with the information the first movie provided, viewers can start making an idea of what some potential sequels could look like. These are the most likely.
Army of Thieves
Army of Thieves is confirmed to be the first title to follow Army of the Dead. In fact, the movie already has finished production and is set to release in 2021. It will focus on Ludwig Dieter and a team of dexterous criminals who try to exploit society's instability during the early days of the zombie outbreak. Army of the Dead spent a good deal of time developing Dieter as an awkward but charismatic safecracker, so it's only natural he will be the protagonist in the prequel. Matthias Schweighöfer, who plays Dieter, will direct and star. The main cast also features Ruby O. Fee, Nathalie Emmanuel, Guz Khan, Stuart Martin, Jonathan Cohen, and Noémi Nakai.
Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas
The other confirmed installment set in the world of Army of the Dead is Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas, a six-episode anime series that follows some of the original movie's characters: Dave Bautista's Scott Ward, Ella Purnell's Kate Ward, Ana de la Reguera's Maria Cruz, Tig Notaro's Marianne Peters, and Omari Hardwick's Vanderohe. However, Joe Manganiello will star as Rose, and other notable actors such as Harry Lennix, Anya Chalotra, and Vanessa Hudgens will join him. The series will focus on Scott and Rose's attempts to rescue survivors and keep the zombies at bay, but it will also reveal many important events that happened before the outbreak. How Zeus got infected and how Area 51 is involved will probably factor in.
Army of the Dead 2
Vanderohe's tragic realization that he has been bitten ends Army of the Dead on an ominous note. Having survived the horde of zombies, a direct attack from Zeus, and a nuclear blast Vanderohe knows that he may become the new harbinger of the zombie virus. With no weapon to end his own misery and prevent a catastrophe from happening, he's bound to turn into a zombie on a private flight to Mexico. One can't help but wonder how fast the virus spreads once the jet lands and Vanderohe springs out to attack everyone in sight. The nuclear blast in Las Vegas was supposed to eliminate all the infected. Nobody expects a zombie to book a flight to a new country. The direct sequel to Army of the Dead could deal with this issue.
Post-Army of the Dead Dieter Spinoff
Dieter sacrificed his spot inside the casino vault to save Vanderohe, and the last we see of him is Zeus grabbing him before he closes the vault. Since Dieter is a major character in the Army of the Dead franchise, a new movie or show could detail either his escape from the Alpha or his transformation into a zombie. Either way, Dieter could have found a way to survive through the nuclear blast. A spinoff focused on him would continue his arc through Army of Thieves and Army of the Dead, perhaps concluding it by making him a new Alpha on his third appearance.
Bly Tanaka Spinoff
The main plot of Army of the Dead kicked off due to Bly Tanaka's proposal. The mysterious millionaire asked Scott to retrieve a large sum of money from the vault before the nuke landed in Las Vegas. However, what Bly Tanaka may have really wanted from Las Vegas was to weaponize the zombie virus. Hence why he sent Martin with the team, and why Martin committed the terrible mistake of beheading the Queen. In the Army of the Dead universe, zombies are almost superpowered, and a powerful man like Tanaka may have ambitious plans with such a valuable weapon. A future movie or show, possibly set after Army of the Dead 2, can reveal Tanaka has succeeded in weaponizing zombies for his own benefit.
Olympus Spinoff
Another story set before the nuclear blast could take place in the Olympus casino. The Olympus provided some of the most spectacular set-pieces of Army of the Dead, and the typical Las Vegas imagery delivered distinct visual elements that set the movie apart from dozens of other films in the zombie genre. A future sequel could keep exploring a zombified Las Vegas with a stronger focus on the mythology-inspired casino. After all, the statue of the Greek God of Thunder inspired Zeus, the king of the horde.
Army of the Dead: Global Outbreak
Lastly, the most obvious outcome of Vanderohe's infection is the uncontrollable spread of the zombie virus throughout the world. Las Vegas could barely be quarantined — the rest of the world may not be as lucky. An Army of the Dead movie about a global outbreak would have the advantage over ambitious movies like World War Z, which often have to deal with the backstory, the infection, the conflict, and the end of the zombie virus all in a single movie (and often lack an appropriate level of worldbuilding). The Army of the Dead franchise seems to be taking its time to explore every aspect of the zombie crisis, and an eventual disaster movie on a worldwide scale could be an ideal blockbuster.