Netflix Unites Zack Snyder and James Gunn for a New Zombie Epic
Zack Snyder and James Gunn’s Dawn of the Dead lurches onto Netflix soon, giving fans a fresh chance to devour the 2004 shocker that helped redefine the zombie remake.
Heads up for the zombie crowd: Zack Snyder and James Gunn’s 2004 remake of 'Dawn of the Dead' is shuffling back into the spotlight, this time on a very big streamer. If you’ve been waiting for a clean, easy way to rewatch it (or finally check it off your list), the timing is about to get very convenient.
When and where to watch
'Dawn of the Dead' hits Netflix on January 1, 2026. That date comes via What’s on Netflix, and it puts the movie right at the top of your New Year queue. It’s a nice return to a major streaming platform for a remake that actually moved the needle for the genre.
Quick refresher on this version
This is the one Snyder directed and Gunn wrote. It opens with Ana, a nurse who ends one day like any other and wakes up to the world ending. A neighbor attacks her husband out of nowhere, turns him into one of the fast, feral undead, and suddenly her quiet suburb is a war zone. She bolts, crosses paths with police officer Kenneth Hall and a small cluster of other survivors, and they all hole up in a shopping mall. The plan is simple: lock the doors and try to outlast the chaos. The reality is messier—more people show up, resources thin out, and the clock keeps ticking.
Who’s in it
- Sarah Polley as Ana Clark
- Ving Rhames as Sergeant Kenneth Hall
- Jake Weber as Michael Shaunessy
- Mekhi Phifer as Andre
- Ty Burrell as Steve Markus
How it landed, then and now
Rotten Tomatoes has it at a 77% Tomatometer from 192 critic reviews, which tracks with how it was received at the time: better-than-expected for a remake, brisk, gnarly, and very watchable. One review that pinned the vibe neatly came from Antonia Quirke at The Standard:
'It is ferocious and young and exciting, and rather like the terrific 28 Days Later but without the overwhelming sense of dread or Christopher Eccleston in uniform.'
It also did real business: more than $102 million worldwide, with over $59 million of that from domestic theaters. Not bad for a mall full of nightmares.
Why this re-release matters
Beyond the convenience factor, it’s fun to revisit how Snyder’s punchy direction and Gunn’s script brought a slick, mean energy to a classic premise. Two decades later, it still moves, and Netflix putting it front and center on day one of 2026 should give it another proper lap around the track.