Newly-revealed character details have shed light on Dave Bautista’s role in Zack Snyder and Netflix’s zombie heist thriller, Army of the Dead. While it’s only been a few months since Netflix announced the movie, Snyder’s been trying to get Army of the Dead off the ground for well over a decade already. Thankfully, the film has undergone some dramatic changes since it early days, back when Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. (The Thing 2011) was directing and Snyder was producing only. That includes the script, which originally included (obviously, controversial) elements like male zombies raping human women.
Co-written by Snyder (who’s also calling the shots now), the current Army of the Dead script draft follows a pack of mercenaries as they try and pull off an elaborate heist in a version of Las Vegas that’s been quarantined, following a zombie outbreak. Casting is currently underway for the action-horror film, with Bautista having recently signed on to play the movie’s somewhat mysterious lead. Now, thanks to a new update, there are character breakdowns available for both his role and the film’s supporting ensemble alike.
The Observer is reporting that Bautista will star in Army of the Dead as Scott, the leader of the heist and a “dry witted, thoughtful [man] estranged from his family”. Scott’s 20-something daughter, Kate, is also a major character in the film and is described as being a “taciturn, hard-working, driven” volunteer for the World Health Organization in the face of the zombpocalypse. Here are the other character breakdowns included in The Observer’s report:
Based on these breakdowns, Army of the Dead will feature a fairly typical, motley collection of human characters, as far as the members of Scott’s heist mission are concerned. It also sounds like Scott’s arc in the movie will revolve around him repairing his relationship with his grown daughter in some fashion, which again is a pretty standard premise for a heist film. The twist, of course, is that Scott’s “one last job” takes place in post-zombie apocalypse Las Vegas, which sounds like a fun backdrop for the narrative here. It helps that Snyder’s already demonstrated a knack for crafting exhilarating zombie films in general, after he broke-out in the 2000s with his feature debut on the Dawn of the Dead remake - a movie that incorporated fast-moving zombies in often creative and ingenious ways.
Vanderohe (30s-40s): Strong as a beast, with muscles bulging out of his tight T-shirt, this guy is a “badass,” but also good-humored. Known for his expertise when it comes to killing zombies. He has a philosophical approach to life to counteract his emotional scars from what he witnessed in the war. (Lead).
Frank Peters (50s-60s): He is a “cool-as-hell older dude with slicked-back gray hair and aviators.” A chopper pilot, brought on board to transport the team into the zombie-held territory. (Lead).
Lilly (Late 20s-30s): Restless, a tough cookie, also known as the Coyote, helping those, who, for whatever reason, need to get back inside the zombie stronghold. She’s canny and crafty, with all the skills to survive in the most hostile of environments. (Lead).
Cruz (Female, late 30s-40s): Latina, a mechanic, owner of a body shop. Hard-drinking and tough-talking, she’s more than happy to join the mission into the zombie stronghold, but it’s not for the money. (Lead).
Ludwig Dieter (Male, 20s): A scrawny Swiss-German kid and master safe-cracker. He has broken into more high security vaults than anybody else in the world. Dieter is the only one who is vocally excited about the mission and considers the upcoming adventure real “fun.” (Lead).
Reggie (20s): “Tough as can be—jacked, stacked and cool.” He, too, is a member of the team whose primary role is straight-up zombie killer. (Supporting).
Adeline (30s): Disenfranchised immigrant, a refugee, she’s a single mom with two young children, willing to do anything to keep her kids safe. (Lead).
Burt Cummings (30s): Thin, with a “porny mustache,” greasy-haired, this guy is a tobacco-chewing, self-important jerk, cocky and alienating, who is taking advantage of the power he has obtained over the refugees. (Lead).
Mikey Guzman (30s): Fearless, highly capable, he is a sharp-shooter, able to kill multiple zombies with a single shot. He is looking for the one big score that will change his life. (Supporting).
Martin (30s): A Ray-Ban wearing fellow in a suit, he is right-hand-man to billionaire Hunter Bly. Former head of security at Blye’s Las Vegas casino. No one is quite sure of his motivations. (Lead).
Bautista, for his part, should continue to branch out as an actor thanks to his role in Army of the Dead. Now that he’s officially retired from professional wrestling, Bautista is doubling-down on his movie career with upcoming roles in films like Denis Villeneuve’s Dune reboot, in addition to Snyder’s zombie heist thriller, and his expected return as Drax the Destroyer in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy 3 (not to mention, his rumored role in Gunn’s The Suicide Squad). The way things are headed, Bautista’s going to have a pretty fascinating and eclectic body of genre films under his belt, by the time he starts slowing down.
Source: Observer
