Interview: Garret Dillahunt talks Army of the Dead and many new projects

Garret Dillahunt recently took some time out of his schedule to chat with Undead Walking. He is currently in New Orleans filming Where the Crawdads Sing. 

Dillahunt’s latest film Army of the Dead is currently in theaters and released on Netflix on May 21. The character he plays is named Martin, and he works security for the owner of a Casino in Las Vegas that the undead has overrun.

The film is directed by Zach Snyder and combines the heist and zombie genres. Filming took place in New Mexico and the abandoned Atlantic Club Casino Hotel in New Jersey. Martin’s boss Bly Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada), needs a team to go to his casino and retreat a large sum of money. The catch, it is overrun by zombies.

Dillahunt is joined by Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Theo Rossi, Matthias Schweighöfer, Nora Arnezeder, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tig Notaro, Raúl Castillo and Huma Qureshi in this unique combination of mercenaries vs. zombies.

Garret Dillahunt feels Army of the Dead will reinvigorate the zombie movie genre.

Dillahunt shared that the zombies in this film are quite different than what we have seen in other movies and shows. The zombies in this film aren’t the slow decaying undead we have gotten used to. This film has reimagined them into being scary once again. This is an organized group with a hierarchy with a leader, and they are like a pack of wild dogs who hunt down their prey.

He shared that he is very excited for fans to see this film and that he really enjoyed it when he watched it. When I asked how the role came to him, he said:

"“I am never sure why they look at me and think to get him to be the sleaze bag. It must be something in my face. (laugh) I have a lot of friends who have worked with Zack (Snyder) and they all talk about what a great guy he is and they always call him family. So, I thought, I want to work with a guy like that.”"

Garret Dillahunt has many other projects in the works. When we talked, he was in New Orleans filming his latest movie, Where the Crawdads Sing. This film is based on a novel by Delia Owens that centers around a young girl who lives in isolation in the coastal town of Barkley Cove, North Carolina. Because of her lifestyle, she is always under scrutiny by the community, and when a young man is murdered, she is the first person they suspect.

He shared that fans of the novel have a lot of expectations about this film. Reese Witherspoon is producing, and Dillahunt will be joined by Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson, David Strathairn and fellow TWDU alum Jayson Warner Smith.

One project is very excited about is a series called Sprung. He is executive producing this with his friend Greg Garcia. They are almost finished with casting, and it has been picked up for ten episodes which they hope to start filming this summer.

"“This is kind of a dream project. We’ve been working on this for a long time. I can barely contain my excitement about it”"

The story is about a group of prisoners who were let out of prison early because of the covid pandemic. These guys weren’t maximum-security prisoners; for example, Dillahunt’s character, Jack, was in jail for selling weed, a lot of it, and has been in jail for 25 years. It follows the prisoners as they try to reacclimate to the outside world. The series is humorous with a lot of heart.

"“That’s the kind of thing I like to do. It’s a crazy world out there and if I can make people smile for half an hour a day it would be awesome”"

The series will also star Illeana Douglas (Goliath) and Philip Garcia, and some others who have yet to be officially announced. The deals have been closed for these actors, and Dillahunt is excited to introduce this cast to the world.

"“I am really proud to be among this group of people, very funny, very unique and genuine. I just know this is going to be a good one.”"

He recently finished filming a Michael Bay film called Ambulance. He stars with Jake Gyllenhaal and Eiza Gonzalez. He stated it was an excellent experience filming this one as it is very exciting with lots of explosions. The film follows two thieves who steal an ambulance after a heist goes bad.

He also makes a cameo in the film Blonde. He believes that “Ana de Armas is going to blow people away as Marilyn.”

In parting, Dillahunt has this to share about what lies ahead of him.

"“I’m very excited about this time of my life with this fresh new path ahead of me right now”"

It was an honor to speak with Garret Dillahunt, and it is always appreciated when members of our TWD Family take the time to speak with us. We wish him the best of luck in all of his future roles.