'All of that pain and joy': How Zack Snyder's own experience shaped father-daughter relationship in Netflix's Army of the Dead

A father-daughter duo decides to infiltrate a zombie-infested Las Vegas. Really, what could possibly go wrong?

The exploration of that relationship is a central plot for Netflix's upcoming film Army of the Dead, directed and co-written by Zack Snyder.

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And it is a poignant and sentimental storyline that ends with a sweet reconciliation and a heartbreaking farewell.

A coincidence? Perhaps not, considering that the director suffered a tragic loss in 2017 when his daughter committed suicide — resulting in him stepping away from the ill-fated movie Justice League.

Watching Army of the Dead, you wouldn't be faulted for feeling like there's a sense of closure and finality, almost as if Zack had written it to be a cathartic experience.

While he may not have cited the loss of his daughter as the sole influence behind the relationship, Zack mentioned that "my own experience with my own children played a huge role [in the writing]".

During the global press conference on May 6, 55-year-old Zack replied to AsiaOne's question about the inspiration behind the father-daughter relationship that featured heavily in the zombie heist film.

He said: "The father-daughter relationship has always been at the core of the movie. And frankly, it's evolved quite a bit as, you know, I've evolved."

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The film was first announced in March 2007 and Zack conceived the story right after his 2004 zombie flick Dawn of the Dead, prior to the death of his daughter.

However, it was banished to development hell due to budget problems and, according to Zack, because "Warner Brothers didn't want to do it".

Army of the Dead finally saw the light of day when Netflix acquired the distribution rights from Warner Bros in January 2019.

Zack added: "When I was writing those scenes between (daughter) Kate and (father) Scott, my own experience with my own children played a huge role. And just the catharsis, and you know, your children can hurt you worse than anybody, but they can also bring you joy.

"Your greatest sorrow, and your greatest pain can come from your children. [Also] your greatest highs and your greatest lows. So I just brought all of that pain and joy to writing this relationship between Scott and Kate."

In Army of the Dead, Scott (played by Dave Bautista) gathers a group of mercenaries, including daughter Kate (Ella Purnell), and attempts to pull off the greatest heist ever while navigating the zombie-infested Las Vegas.

The film also stars Hiroyuki Sanada, Omari Hardwick, Ana De La Reguera, Matthias Schweighofer, Nora Arnezeder, Garret Dillahunt, Tig Notaro, and Raul Castillo.

Sentient zombies

This time, our 'heroes' will face zombies that aren't the usual shambling, rotting corpses we've seen in other films. They're faster and stronger, they're sentient, and that's not even the most shocking thing about them.

We shall not say more because of spoilers.

Given enough time, "nobody survives these guys", Zack confessed.

However, he explained that they "represent an evolution because they're not ambitious". They may have zombie tigers and horses at their disposal but they're not on a quest to conquer the world.

He didn't share more details about the origins of the zombies, but that's probably because it'll be explored in the animated prequel.

The film is also rather sparse on details regarding their motivations and origins — though Zack said that there are clues. But, he promised that viewers won't be disappointed with what they have up their sleeves when the animated prequel drops.

In Snyder we trust?

Speaking of prequels, for most films and television shows, their popularity and reception determines its longevity.

Many of us are familiar with the agonising wait that follows after a hit show and the audible sigh of relief when it finally gets renewed. Bridgerton, anyone? Or most recently, the sleeper hit Shadow and Bone? (Unfortunately, no confirmation yet of a second season.)

Surprisingly, in the case of Army of the Dead, the film birthed an expanded universe way before it was set to air.

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Netflix didn't just pick up distribution rights for Army of the Dead, it even ordered two other projects set in the same universe — a prequel film and an anime-style television series — in September 2020.

Getting to create an original intellectual property and a world from scratch was fun, said Zack.

It's been 17 years since his last zombie project (Dawn) and this time, he's not just the director, he's also the cinematographer. In other words, he gets to have his vision for the film and execute the visuals accordingly.

He shared: "It was kind of a reconnection to cinema for me. Because you know, doing these giant superhero movies, you get further and further away from the camera... This was really one of my favourite sort of cinematic processes. The process of making the film was incredibly satisfying."

And, he also created this film with a little something for everyone.

When asked what the takeaway from this film should be, Zack replied: "The movie's sort of custom made for viewers of all kinds. If you want to watch the movie and just have fun for two hours and 28 minutes, then by all means. That's what the movie should be for you.

"If you want to take some weird deep dive into what zombies are mythologically to the human race and you want to write your master's thesis about zombie genre and, like, how socially they represent us... that's fine too...

"That's what I really want the movie to be. I really want it to be sort of bespoke to the viewer in that way."

Army of the Dead premieres on Netflix on May 21.

bryanlim@asiaone.com