No need to wait for The Snyder Cut where Netflix's Army of the Dead is concerned, as the movie has now officially been rated "R" for "strong bloody violence, gore and language throughout, some sexual content and brief nudity/graphic nudity." Pretty much everything you'd want in a zombie heist movie. With the first trailer due to hit the internet on Thursday, this should have zombie, heist and Snyder fans' excitement levels at a palpable level.

Army of the Dead rating tweet

Directed by Zack Snyder, from a script he wrote with Shay Hatten and Joby Harold, and based on an original story by Snyder, Army of the Dead follows a group of mercenaries who carry out a heist on a Las Vegas casino during a zombie outbreak. Led by Guardians of the Galaxy star Dave Bautista, the actor recently provided some insight into what drew him to the project, promising a lot more than just an action movie. "For me, there had to be something special about a zombie film for me to sign up," he said. "What sets us apart is the heist. But there's a whole bunch of different layers to this film." Thanks to Snyder's genre mash-up, which promises scares, action, and heist-thriller twists and turns, Bautista found something that stood out in the long-established genre.

Snyder has amassed a stellar ensemble cast for Bautista's band of mercenaries, with Army of the Dead promising a lot of gruff, archetypal characters. Joining Snyder and Bautista on the heist are Ella Purnell as Kate Ward, Ana de la Reguera as Cruz, Garret Dillahunt as Martin, Raúl Castillo as Mikey Guzman, and Omari Hardwick as Vanderohe, among others. Snyder has praised his cast of characters in the past, as well as describing Army of the Dead as the "most satisfying" movie he has ever made. Take that, Batman and Superman.

"It is a full-blown, balls-to-the-wall zombie heist movie, so it's genre-on-genre in a great way," said Snyder of the upcoming Netflix project. "So you expect pure zombie mayhem, and you get that, 100 percent. But also you get these really amazing characters on a fantastic journey. It's going to surprise people that there's a lot of warmth and real emotion with these great characters."

Netflix clearly have a lot of faith in both Snyder and the zombie franchise he has created, with the movie reportedly given a budget of $90 million, with the streaming giant also planning a prequel and a TV series based on the property. The anime will be titled Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas and will center around some of the characters from the upcoming movie during the early phases of the zombie apocalypse. The prequel meanwhile will be directed by Matthias Schweighöfer, who is also on board to star.

Zack Snyder has proven his affinity for the zombie genre before, with 2004's Dawn of the Dead, and it will no doubt prove to be just as thrilling to see him tackle the walking dead once again. Army of the Dead is scheduled to debut on Netflix on May 21, 2021, with the first trailer set to drop on Thursday. This comes to us courtesy of the official Twitter account for Exhibitor Relations Co..