Here's everything we know about Army of Thieves, the forthcoming prequel to Army of the Dead. Directed by Matthias Schweighöfer, Army of Thieves marks the second installment of Zack Snyder's Netflix zombie franchise, which will eventually be complemented by an animated series entitled Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas. Set during the beginning of the outbreak, Army of Thieves follows a single character from the original 2021 Netflix movie, Ludwig Deiter.
Army of the Dead establishes the zombie infection context with its opening sequence. Outside Nevada's Area 51, a military vehicle carrying mysterious, unidentified, potentially extra-terrestrial cargo crashes into a car driven by a distracted newlywed couple. A hyper-athletic zombie (later named Zeus) emerges and kills multiple soldiers while infecting others. These undead denizens then descend upon Las Vegas and attack, as shown during Army of the Dead's musical montage, which sets up the inciting incident for Snyder's tale. Four days before the US government plans to destroy Las Vegas and all the zombies contained within with a nuclear strike, a business mogul named Bly Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada) organizes a $200 million heist at The Olympus casino.
In Army of the Dead, virtually every main character is killed off by the end credits, while the fate of several others remains uncertain. A direct sequel is on the way, which will presumably involve one or more of the original human protagonists leading a zombie revolution. Before then, here's what to expect from the upcoming prequel movie, Army of Thieves.
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Army Of Thieves Release Date
Army of Thieves will release on October 29, 2021. The prequel was originally announced in September 2020, and filming was completed in the December of that same year. In May 2021, Army of Thieves had reached the post-production phase, with Netflix announcing the official release date for the prequel film during their TUDUM fan event in September.
Army Of Thieves Cast
Army of Thieves stars Matthias Schweighöfer as Ludwig Dieter, Army of the Dead's German safecracker. Game of Thrones' Nathalie Emmanuel co-stars as Gwendoline, the leader of the heist crew and Ludwig's love interest. The Army of Thieves supporting cast includes Ruby O. Fee (Polar) as Korina, Stuart Martin (Medici: Masters of Florence) as Brad, Guz Khan (Man Like Mobeen) as Rolph, Jonathan Cohen (Budapest) as Delacroix, and Noémie Nakai (Never Let Me Go) as Beatrix. Don't expect any other familiar faces from Army of the Dead to play a significant role, but cameos are certainly not out of the question.
Army Of Thieves Story Details
Army of Thieves takes place immediately after the initial zombie outbreak begins, six years before the main Army of the Dead story. The movie will have very minimal zombies and instead focuses on Ludwig Dieter's team, who attempt to capitalize upon the financial instability of banks left in the wake of the Las Vegas incident. She also describes Army of Thieves as "a romantic comedy, heist movie," which implies that audiences will learn much more about Schweighöfer's safe-cracker character as he embarks on a budding relationship with Gwendoline. What's more, Ludwig's skills for cracking safes is what puts him on the radar of the heist team, with the film globe-trotting to various locations in a bid to rob banks in what looks like an exciting story.
Army Of Thieves Trailer
The first trailer for Army of Thieves released during SDCC 2021's socially distant festivities, revealing a much lighter, humorous tone compared to Army of the Dead and a marked departure from Snyder's visual style. The prequel will indulge in some globe-trekking action, but the focus remains firmly on the dynamic between Ludwig and his fellow criminals. The only reference to undead in the Army of Thieves trailer comes in the form of a news report, which mentions the outbreak in Las Vegas, but there's no indication that Ludwig's gang will go anywhere near Sin City.
The second trailer for Army of the Thieves shows how self-aware it is of the heist format, with Ludwig commenting that what they're doing is exactly like heist movies from the past. The film, like Army of the Dead, sees a group of wildly different personalities teaming up, but the tone of Army of Thieves is clearly lighter, with the trailer showing plenty of action, romance, and humor. Army of Thieves' second trailer doubles down on the fact that zombies won't be much of a factor. Where Army of the Dead was steeped in American themes, Army of Thieves looks to explore the European reaction to Zeus' bloody Vegas vacation.
