Army of the Dead 2 release date speculation, cast, theories

The director behind Justice League: The Snyder Cut has already wowed fans once again with the heist film Army of Thieves which explored the past of character Ludwig Deiter, played by Matthias Schweighofer, and also introduced a new cast of roguish characters.

The prequel outing provided an emotional connection to the first film but also may not be the last fans see of Ludwig just yet.

With both films now available on Netflix and a full-on connected universe of zombie stories on the way, RadioTimes.com has rounded up all the information we have so far on the upcoming Army of the Dead sequel.

Beware as *spoilers* are below for both Army of the Dead and Army of Thieves.

Army of the Dead 2 release date speculation

Army of the Dead 2 is officially titled Planet of the Dead and was confirmed in July 2021 after the success of the first film.

Netflix's film head Scott Stuber said in a statement: "To see [Snyder] return to his roots with Army of the Dead, which is now one of our most popular films, and build a world out of these characters with the upcoming Army of Thieves and anime series, is amazing to see.

"We've only scratched the surface of what's still to come and create with Zack, Deb, Wes and everyone at Stone Quarry."

Director Zack Snyder confirmed the film's title in an interview with Inverse.

However, we have no word on release dates yet as Snyder is still working on his film Rebel Moon.

Fans will have to make do with the Army of the Dead spin-offs including animated prequel series Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas and live-action prequel film Army of Thieves, starring Matthias Schweighöfer as Ludwig Dieter.

Who could return for Army of the Dead 2?

**SPOILERS FOR ARMY OF THE DEAD**

Zack Snyder assembled a very large ensemble cast for his first Army of the Dead film, but he doesn't need to worry about getting them all back as most of his characters didn't make it out alive.

Indeed, by the end of the film, Ella Purnell's Kate Ward is the only character that remains alive and well, so she would be the prime candidate to play the lead role in a potential sequel.

That said, we could also see more from Omari Hardwick's Vanderohe, who is technically still alive when the credits roll, but he's suffering a nasty zombie bite that suggests he might not be around for much longer.

Snyder has also hinted that we could see the likes of Army of Thieves' Ludwig Dieter once again despite his apparent (Matthias Schweighofer) demise in Army of the Dead.

When asked by Inverse if we would find out about Ludwig's life between the prequel and the first film, the director suggested he would return for Planet of the Dead after all - with Nathalie Emmanuel potentially returning too as Gwendoline.

Snyder said: "But the real adventure would be to see what happened to him when that safe door closed. Did he get killed by Zeus or not? What happened?

"We don't see him die on camera, and there's still some time left. I won't tell you what happens in Army of the Dead 2 — aka Planet of the Dead — but let's just say that there’s a chance Dieter survives. And there's a chance that brush with death would have caused him to want to find a jailed Gwendoline."

Additionally, the fate of Tig Notaro's wise-cracking pilot Marianne Peters is left somewhat ambiguous, as the last time we see her she is non-responsive in the pilot seat of her downed craft.

It's quite possible that she was killed in the crash, but there is a small chance that she was merely unconscious and could be resuscitated by the emergency teams converging on their location.

Other actors from the first film, such as Dave Bautista and Ana de la Reguera, could perhaps return in flashback sequences, but their respective characters have little hope of resurrection.

Is there an Army of the Dead 2 trailer?

There is not currently a trailer for Planet of the Dead as it has yet to begin production.

Zack Snyder is set to work on his film Rebel Moon prior to tackling the Army of the Dead sequel, meaning we are a way away from footage being released.

Rest assured, as soon as a trailer is posted we shall share it on this page.

Army of the Dead 2 theories: What could happen next?

The final scene of Army of the Dead sees Omari Hardwick's Vanderohe purchase a private jet with the riches from Bly Tanaka's safe and for a moment it seems as if he might have a happy ending.

Unfortunately, he soon becomes woozy and dashes to the bathroom, where he realises he has a zombie bite on his arm and that the infection is starting to take effect.

The film ends before we see him fully transform, but according to the rules that Army of the Dead has set out, it's unlikely that Vanderohe is going to survive his injury.

However, that doesn't necessarily mean that the character's story is over.

Given that Vanderohe was bitten by the (now deceased) original Alpha zombie, he is likely to become an Alpha himself i.e. a member of the undead with intellect and agility well above that of a standard "shambler".

Therefore, there's every chance he would become the next zombie king when he eventually loses control, meaning a potential sequel could see Kate Ward face off against one of her father's former friends.

"Even preemptively before he yelled action on day one on this movie, Zack and I definitely talked about the big picture and playing Vanderohe from that space and the possibilities as to where this guy could go," Omari Hardwick told RadioTimes.com and other press.

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He added: "So I'm ready. I'm trying to stay in that level of shape so that when I'm called upon and thrown back into the zombie world – even if it’s as a zombie – then I'm ready to play and add to the story again."

For more on the climax to the film, read our Army of the Dead ending explained feature.

Army of the Dead is streaming now on Netflix – take a look at our guides to the best series on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix.

Check out more of our Sci-Fi and Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what's on tonight.