Netflix Cancels Zack Snyder Sequels And Series, Franchise Dead?
Despite the success of the Army of the Dead movie, with 75 million households making it the ninth most-watched movie in Netflix’s history, it looks like Zack Snyder won’t get the chance to make his planned series or any sequels. The animated series as well as the sequel, titled Planet of the Dead have been canceled by Netflix. So, what’s to become of the franchise? Is it gone for good?
No Clear Reason For Cancellation
It’s not clear why Netflix has canceled Zack Snyder’s series and sequels, given the smashing success of the original. Snyder and his co-producer, Deborah Snyder, announced the cancellation themselves after Netflix failed to make an announcement, but no reason was given either by the Synders or Netflix for the fate of the franchise. Snyder did comment to CinemaBlend that he’s working on a smaller project with less big visual effects, so the cancellation may have come at least in part from a lack of enthusiasm for the project on his part.
The Ultimate Zombie Heist Movie
Army of the Dead combines a heist movie with a zombie thriller, giving both genres a unique twist. In the Netflix streamer, Zack Snyder also adds a dash of war/military action to bring together a team of mercenaries, racing against the clock to retrieve a casino boss’s fortune before the walled-off, zombie-infested city of Las Vegas is nuked. An action movie with an original premise as well as a horror movie with a fast-paced plot, Army of the Dead captured a large fanbase on its release in 2021.
The Army Of The Dead Six Flags VR Attraction
Fans got a little bit of a consolation, with the VR experience, Army of the Dead: Viva Las Vengeance, running at Six Flags from October 2022 to April 2023. Netflix might not have given Zack Snyder another chance at the franchise, but at least fans were able visit their favorite characters at Six Flags for a while, following the team as they move a truck through zombie-infested Las Vegas. The VR-enhanced ride lasted for about 30 minutes and even included zombie-themed tacos at its opening.
Mixed Reception For Army Of Thieves Prequel
The original Army of the Dead movie was very successful with 18.7 million views and the prequel, Army of Thieves, had an even larger reception on Netflix, with 22.6 million views. However, the prequel had a mixed response from critics, scoring 69% from both audience and critics on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s possible that Netflix canceled the Zack Snyder franchise because of less-than-stellar reviews despite a healthy viewership.
Another possible wrench in the works at Netflix for Zack Snyder is reported technical issues with the animated series. Snyder told The Nerd Queens last year that the animated series, Lost Vegas was struggling with technical problems which had caused delays. Although he didn’t report any cancellation plans, he did quickly move on to discussing Twilight of the Gods with much more enthusiasm.
Rebel Moon’s Poor Reception Could Also Be A Factor
Critical reception for the Rebel Moon franchise might also be at fault for the cancellation, causing Netflix to lose confidence in the future success of Zack Snyder’s projects going forward. Since both the original and to a lesser degree, the directors’ cuts of the Rebel Moon movies were poorly received by critics, there’s a chance that Netflix deemed the Army of the Dead sequels and series as too risky. Whatever the reason, Netflix seems to have left the Army of the Dead franchise dead in the water.
