Army of Thieves turns five this week, and the safecracking prequel still has its fans. Before Ludwig Dieter became the comic heart of Army of the Dead, this film gave him a full heist crew, three legendary safes and a very different tone. Here are eight things you may not know about the making, music and reception of the 2021 Netflix film.
1. It began as Army of the Dead: The Prequel
In September 2020, Netflix announced the film, then known as Army of the Dead: The Prequel, was in development. By February 2021, Deborah Snyder referred to it as Army of Thieves. Zack Snyder confirmed the official title in April 2021.
2. Matthias Schweighöfer did triple duty
Schweighöfer serves as director, producer and lead actor. He reprises his Army of the Dead role as Ludwig Dieter, alongside a supporting cast that includes Nathalie Emmanuel.
3. It wrapped after a fast shoot
Filming took place in Germany and the Czech Republic, and finished in December 2020. The project had only been announced that September as a development at Netflix.
4. Zimmer and Holkenborg shared music duties
In August 2021, Schweighöfer announced on Twitter that Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro would serve as composers, with Tom Holkenborg contributing. Holkenborg, who composed Army of the Dead, had confirmed in February 2021 that he would work on both the prequel and the tie-in animated series Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas.
5. Deborah Snyder saw a romantic comedy heist first
Producer Deborah Snyder described the film as similar to The Italian Job in a world where zombies exist, while explaining it is standalone in nature. At the San Diego Comic-Con panel, she asked, “Who’s done a prequel where it’s a different genre of film?” and called it “more of a romantic, comedy, heist film than anything else.”
6. Zombies were always in the plan
Schweighöfer acknowledged that the movie is not categorically a zombie film, but he teased that the undead may appear. Zack Snyder confirmed that there will be zombies in the film; in the story, the outbreak in Nevada dominates international news and gives Sebastian nightmares.
7. The safes had a one-week countdown
Gwendoline recruits Sebastian into a crew to break into three banks holding the legendary safes created by locksmith Hans Wagner, which belong to billionaire Bly Tanaka. The safes will be decommissioned in less than a week, so time is running out.
8. Critics gave it a mixed, playful pass
On Rotten Tomatoes, 69% of 96 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. Metacritic reports a weighted average score of 49 out of 100 from 22 critics, indicating “mixed or average” reviews. David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that it is “a slick, enjoyably playful entertainment.”
Those are our eight from the vault. Which Army of Thieves detail surprised you most: the title change, the Zimmer score or the one-week countdown? Tell us your favourite fact.
Facts from Wikipedia: Army of Thieves, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Film images from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.