Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead, which is set to debut on Netflix on May 21, follows Scott (Dave Bautista) and his crew of mercenaries as they travel into Las Vegas in search of a small fortune. Unfortunately, they aren't alone; the city is overrun with zombies who appear vastly different than most of their big screen counterparts. Being portrayed as intelligent and able to organize, Army of the Dead's undead seem to have a lot in common with the creatures in I Am Legend.
Written in 1954 by Richard Matheson, I Am Legend is a novel that tells the story of Robert Neville, the sole survivor of a pandemic that turned the majority of humanity into creatures called "vampires." He spends his days trying to find a cure for the disease, hoping that one day, humanity will get the chance to rebuild itself. However, unbeknownst to Neville, the creatures he's been fighting have built their own society, one in which he's seen as the enemy. After being captured, Neville commits suicide using fast-acting pills given to him by one of the vampire's highest-ranking members, finally accepting that society has rebuilt, just no in the way he intended.
While I Am Legend is considered one of the most influential works in zombie and vampire literature, it wasn't until the 21st Century that it hit big with mainstream audiences. In 2007, Warner Bros. released a movie based on the book that starred Will Smith as Neville. The film adaptation was vastly different than the book, but it still portrayed its vampires -- now dubbed Darkseeers -- as intelligent and able to feel compassion.
Now, Army of the Dead is looking to expand on that idea with its zombies. In the newest trailer for the film, as the group of mercenaries makes their way in an apocalyptic Las Vegas, they notice the things they are fighting are more capable than they appear. These zombies appear to feel love for one another, as made evident when two of them touch heads in a passionate moment, and have the ability to organize in large groups. And if that wasn't bad enough, when Scott is trying to take one out with a knife, the creature evades his attacks with ease, almost as if it has combat training.
That might be where the similarities between the two properties stop, though. Based on The Army of the Dead trailer, the zombies in Snyder's film aren't looking for a peaceful solution, meaning it will take a lot more than the death of one person for Scott and his group to make it out alive.
Directed by Zack Snyder, Army of the Dead stars Dave Bautista, Garret Dillahunt, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Raul Castillo, Tig Notaro, Theo Rossi and Ana de la Reguera. The film arrives on Netflix May 21.