Netflix reveals that Army of Thieves, the prequel to Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead, will arrive on the streaming platform on October 29. The film will be set six years before the events of the zombie heist film and center on Ludwig Dieter in his early days of safecracking as he is hired by a mysterious woman to pull of a heist with the help of a misfit crew of aspiring thieves. Matthias Schweighöfer returns as Ludwig and directs the film from a script written by Army of the Dead writer Shay Hatten and a story concept from Hatten and Snyder.
Army of Thieves marks the first expansion in Netflix and Snyder's zombie franchise following the success of Army of the Dead. The live-action film was announced to be in development alongside the anime prequel series Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas shortly after the streamer acquired the rights to Snyder's film. The success of the original has also led Netflix and Snyder to partner for a proper sequel with Snyder and Hatten writing the film and the former planning to tackle it once he has finished work on the sci-fi epic Rebel Moon for the streamer.
A couple of months after unveiling the first teaser for the series at Comic-Con@Home, Netflix has officially announced that Army of Thieves will premiere on October 29. The release comes five months after the debut of its predecessor on the platform and just in time for the Halloween season. To celebrate the release date, Snyder took to Twitter to share a brief snippet of footage from the film, which can be viewed here:
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Though it divided critics and audiences yet again, the first Army of the Dead did mark a positive direction for Snyder's filmography and the eponymous franchise. Schweighöfer's Dieter proved to be a real fan-favorite character in the unique roster of characters in the first film and the prequel film certainly looks to be giving him his proper spotlight. For those who have been eager to see Snyder's universe expand, the October premiere date should come as exciting news.
With the world of theatrical releases once again looking doubtful amidst the Delta variant spikes, the confirmation that Army of Thieves will arrive just in time will have many fans plan for a Halloween double feature with the original. Though the film is said to shift its tone towards an Italian Job-inspired heist, the inclusion of the undead in the film is sure to make it perfect viewing for the October holiday. Only time will tell when Army of Thieves arrives on October 29.