Rising actress Ella Purnell arguably delivered her breakout performance for the decade in Zack Snyder’s 2021 filmArmy of the Dead, a movie belonging to a novel genre that can only be classified under the moniker of a “zombie heist.”
However, Snyder’s nascent franchise—despite being helmed by massive stars like Dave Bautista—was canceled by Netflixlast year despiteplans for a follow-up animated series. Consequently, the fate of Ella Purnell’s character, Kate Ward, remains unresolved to this day,as there are no current plans for anArmy of the Deadsequel.
The crux of Snyder’sArmy of the Deadcenters arounda doomed plot to recover $200 million from a casino vault in zombie-quarantined Las Vegas. The leader of this heist, Scott Ward (Dave Bautista), assembles a rag-tag group including his daughter Kate (Ella Purnell), who only joins the plot to save her friend Geeta (Huma Qureshi) from the quarantine zone.
What’s fascinating aboutArmy of the Dead(without treading too far into spoiler territory) is its take on the zombie outbreak genre, particularly regarding the hierarchy of the undead. Indeed,several of the film’s adversaries prove far more intelligent than your typical zombies, a reality that makes the stakes all the more formidable for Ward and his crew.
This all culminates withan ending designed to establish Ella Purnell as the series' lead going forward—a handoff that unfortunately appears dead in the water at the moment. Moreover, the film’s planned sequel,Planet of the Dead, would’ve placed Kate at the center of a larger zombie-filled conflict that fans of the franchise might only see in fan fiction.
Despite the latent potential in Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead franchise,there’s a silver lining in its cancellation for Ella Purnell, who’s gone on to star in projects likeSweetpeaandArcane. Furthermore, any risk of being typecast as a quiet, Kate Ward-type character has vanished with Netflix’s decision to quietly abandon the franchise.
Free from the stylish but shallow influence of Snyder,Purnell has gone on to garner acclaim as Jackie inYellowjacketsandLucy inFallout, proving she has in some way conquered the desert ofArmy of the Deadfor the equally inhabitable wasteland of Bethesda’s radiated, post-apocalyptic world.
