Hot Topics:

News

Posted: Wed., Jun. 4, 2008, 4:00pm PT

Talk Back

WB taps van Heijningen for 'Dead'

Commercial director to helm zombie thriller

WB, Safeway support healthy eating

Matt Damon to 'Factor' in rugby role

Jose Padilha, WB set action thriller

Warner Home Video ups exec trio

Alcon raises $550 million in funds

WB makes 'Date' with 'Hill' duo

F/x take off the years(1797 views)

'Alice' continues to enchant auds(1244 views)

E! gets 'Pretty Wild'(751 views)

'Doctor Who' braces for new world(400 views)

Icahn launches hostile bid for Lionsgate(389 views)

Warner Bros. has signed commercial director and visual artist Matthijs van Heijningen to make his feature directing debut on "Army of the Dead," an action thriller that takes place in zombie-infested Las Vegas.

WB will co-finance the pic with Village Roadshow Pictures. Zack Snyder and Deborah Snyder produce under their WB-based Cruel & Unusual Films banner.

Script by Joby Harold (writer and director of "Awake") focuses on a father who tries to save his daughter from certain death in a zombie-ridden Sin City.

Van Heijningen is an ad director who is a multiple winner of Cannes Lions for commercials for advertisers including Toyota, Peugeot, Renault, Stella Artois, Pepsi and Bud Light. He has also directed several shorts.

Cruel & Unusual Films is in post-production on the Snyder-directed "Watchmen" for WB and is working on the animated film "Guardians of Ga'Hoole" and the action fantasy "Sucker Punch," which Snyder hatched and is writing with Steve Shibuya.