Never one to do things in small measures, Zack Snyder developed his zombie movie "Army of the Dead" to launch a shared universe featuring spinoffs, sequels, and prequels. The first such addition to the franchise, this past October's "Army of Thieves," revealed what the oddball safe-cracker Ludwig Dieter got up to before joining a crack team of mercenaries to break into a legendary vault stuck in the middle of zombie-overrun Las Vegas in "Army of the Dead." Snyder is also planning to make a sequel movie — titled "Planet of the Dead" — that may yet include a spot for Dieter in its story.

As for the other main characters from "Army of the Dead," many of them are coming back in an animated prequel series titled "Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas." And much like Snyder co-wrote the story for "Army of Thieves" on top of producing, he's playing a key role behind the scenes on "Lost Vegas." Here's what we know so far.

When And Where To Watch Army Of The Dead: Lost Vegas

"Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas" will debut exclusively on Netflix at some point in 2022. It's one of many genre shows slated to premiere on the streamer next year, where it joins a stacked lineup that includes a live-action series based on Neil Gaiman's "Sandman" comic books, a live-action "Resident Evil" show, and a "Witcher" prequel miniseries titled "The Witcher: Blood Origin." Netflix's heavy-hitters "The Umbrella Academy" and "Stranger Things" will also debut their much-hyped third and fourth seasons, respectively, after being delayed by Covid.

Given the different options Netflix's subscribers will have to scratch their action and/or horror itch in 2022, it will be interesting to see how many decide to check out "Lost Vegas." "Army of the Dead" received mixed-to-positive reviews while racking up hefty viewership numbers (according to Netflix's suspect metrics), whereas "Army of Thieves" earned a somewhat warmer critical reception and made it onto Nielsen's top streaming charts for multiple weeks (via Media Play News). The question is whether "Lost Vegas" can match their performances, granted that it's a show and not a movie.

What We Think Army Of The Dead: Lost Vegas Will Be About

The official synopsis confirms "Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas" will chronicle what "Army of the Dead" leads Scott Ward, Maria Cruz, and the rest of their motley team got up to during "the initial fall of Vegas as they confront the mysterious source of the zombie outbreak." Snyder's original movie offered a sneak peek at what to expect with its best sequence: a great opening credits montage that showed characters like Scott and Maria desperately evacuating civilians as hordes of zombies overrun Vegas, culminating in the city being quarantined off from the rest of the world.

Said montage was also set to the tune of Richard Cheese and Allison Crowe's rendition of "Viva Las Vegas," which served to underscore the tragedy beneath showy images of undead Vegas performers being mowed down or people fleeing for their lives. I bring this up because this sequence not only took viewers on an emotional roller coaster ride that the rest of "Army of the Dead" had trouble matching, it seemed to reveal everything you really needed to know about "the initial fall of Vegas." Here's hoping "Lost Vegas" proves there's a worthy story yet to be told.

What We Know About The Army Of The Dead: Lost Vegas Cast And Crew

Jay Olivia is acting as showrunner on "Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas," having gotten his start as a storyboard artist on animated series like "Extreme Ghostbusters" in the late 1990s. He's since gone on to direct multiple DC animated feature films, many of which have been pretty well-received (like 2013's "Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox"). Olivia also served as a storyboard artist on Snyder's DCEU movie trilogy ("Man of Steel," "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," and "Justice League") and "Army of the Dead," as well as the MCU films "Ant-Man," "Spider-Man: Homecoming," and "Thor: Ragnarok."

Both Olivia and Snyder will direct two episodes of "Lost Vegas," pairing them with a voice cast that includes "Army of the Dead" alums Dave Bautista (Scott Ward), Ana de la Reguera (Maria Cruz), Omari Hardwick (Vanderohe), Tig Notaro (Marianne Peters), and Ella Purnell (Kate Ward), along with Anya Chalotra ("The Witcher") and Ross Butler ("Raya and the Last Dragon"). The show further reunites Snyder with his "Sucker Punch" stars Vanessa Hudgens and Jena Malone, as well as Harry Lennix ("Man of Steel") and Joe Manganiello ("Justice League").

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