Here is the long promised comparison to the original script that I promised I would post. The draft I read was from August 19th 2007, credited - Story by Zack Snyder and Screenplay by Joby Harold.
The purpose of this comparison is manifold - one is to demonstrate why Joby Harold got screenplay credit in this version of Army when he had nothing to do with it. That is because enough of his original draft remained that he had to receive credit.
Secondly, to demonstrate how much Snyder has cut down on plot, characterization, motivation and world-building in the version he finally made. His theatrical version is very sparse on plot, I think it has just 45 mins of plot in a 2.5 hr movie. Compare it to this version, which has a nicely detailed rich and intricate plot.
WB rejected this draft because this movie would have been too expensive. And you can see that. I think this movie's budget would be comparable to the 90-100 mil that Netflix spent on the current version.
Nevertheless, the script I read is far better than the movie we eventually got.
I have added spoiler tags for some of the portions which include details of the movie. Since this script is no longer being made into to a movie and will never be, I am not putting details of this script into spoiler tags.
PS: I would like to hear what people think of the rape storyline. I understand it will be divisive but I think it makes for a more bracing plotline than the more basic one offered in the movie.
Green = 2007 Script
Red = 2021 Movie
Alpha Zombie Escapes
Alpha Zombie escapes from a government facility. Apha Zombie is let out by accident.
When we first see him - he’s naked, still a human, and infected by the zombie virus. When we first see him - he’s shirtless, already a zombie.
We see him die, succumb to the virus and turn into a zombie. We will presumably see something similar in the prequel anime.
The zombie virus then breaks out in Las Vegas in both versions and the city is walled off.
Present Day Situation
It is 1 year later.
It is presumably many years later (though how many is not specified.)
Left-wing analyst and right-wing analyst discuss the politics of the outbreak. Donna Brazile and Sean Spicer discuss the politics of the outbreak.
Scott is a bouncer at a strip club.
Scott is a cook in a burger joint.
Kate's a freelance journalist. She packs up and leaves for Vegas.
Kate’s a World Health Organization volunteer. She’s already outside Vegas.
Scott and Kate are estranged in both versions.
Scott's wife is estranged and alive.
Scott's wife was infected and killed by Scott.
Mission is Set
Kate goes into Las Vegas to investigate the origins of the zombie virus and gets stuck and Scott has to get her back.
Japanese billionaire offers millions to Scott to rob his casino.
True Villain & Obstacles
It is revealed early on that the true villain is the US government. They created the zombie virus.
It is not stated who created the zombie virus though it is fair to assume the US government. The US government is not portrayed as an antagonist in the movie.
The US government discovers Kate has infiltrated Vegas. Villain Kreig is sent into Vegas with 3 helicopters and about 30 officers to capture Kate, destroy the evidence she has gathered, and destroy some other evidence implicating the US government. If his mission fails, the US government is to bomb Vegas without warning.
The US government publicly announces it will bomb Vegas.
Scott Assembles Team
Scott recruits a team of 6 people -
1. Scott
2. an African-American grunt called Vanderohe (Cruz in the script but I will call him Vanderohe because he’s clearly the precursor to the Vanderhoe character)
3. Vanderohe’s Latino Sidekick (precursor to the Mikey Guzman character)
4. another grunt (who I will call Grunt - precursor to the Chambers character)
5. a blonde white 18 year old young man Hacker (precursor to Dieter)
6. a Professor who has advanced some theories about the zombie virus that have not been widely accepted.
Scott recruits a team of 11 people - Scott himself, Vanderohe, an old flame, Kate, safe cracker, security guard, Cayote, billionaire bodyguard, pilot, social media influencer and sidekick.
The main mission is to rescue Kate. The other team members are enticed by money from the casino vaults. Professor is enticed by more knowledge.
The main mission is to rob the vault. The other team members are enticed by money from the casino vault.
Scott narrates the plan to the team shown in a dream sequence.
Bly narrates the plan to the team shown in a dream sequence.
Team purchases ammo.
Team already has ammo.
Team In Vegas
Team enters Vegas through the sewers. The method was discovered by Kate.
Team enters Vegas through the walls. The method was discovered by Cayote.
Both versions show the team arriving in the middle of the city with destruction and corpses around. Both versions show a zombie white tiger walking around.
Zombies are slowly dying in the walled-off city.
No such concept is introduced.
Scott and team find Kate. Team is now up to 7 people. Kate has a hard disc full of evidence implicating the US government in creating the zombie virus. Before they can escape, Kreig captures them. But the zombies attack right then and there is a desperate stand-off.
Grunt dies. Team down to 6 people.
Roughly analogous to the death of [Show spoiler]Chambers
.
2 of the helicopters are lost in the zombie attack. Kreig, Pakistani Soldier and a Pilot survive - all other military officers there to capture Kate die. Team and the 3 military officers escape very narrowly in the remaining helicopter which is also swarming with zombies. One of them is a zombie child (10 year old) which is especially lethal. Team manages to kill all the zombies including the zombie child but the helicopter is damaged so they are forced to land on the roof of Sahara Casino. Team takes the 3 military officers hostage and heads downstairs into the casino to figure out next steps.
Major portion of the movie now takes place in the Sahara Casino.
Major portion of the movie now takes place in the Bly Casino.
Sahara casino has all its security system still up. All entrances are sealed shut. No zombies can enter Sahara casino.
Zombies can enter Bly casino.
Team notices that all dead zombies are male.
Movie does not introduce such a concept.
Ticking Clock Set
Team interrogates Kreig and he confesses that since his mission failed, Vegas will be nuked at midnight.
‘Vegas will be nuked’ element is introduced very early on. The nuking time has moved up though.
Soldier and Pilot feel betrayed by Kreig’s confession and join the Team. Team is now 8. Their main mission is to leave Vegas. They abandon all plans of getting the money.
Team still plans to get the money.
Team’s plan is to activate the defunct monorail at the Sahara casino. Ride it to the airport. And fly out of Vegas.
Team’s plan is to repair the helicopter on the Bly rooftop and fly out of Vegas.
The heroes are stalled
Hacker needs to hack the defunct monorail for it to work - that will take time.
Safecracker needs to crack the safe to get the money - that will take time.
Kreig then reveals the true extent of the US government's treachery. They were experimenting with the zombie virus to prolong soldier lives on the battlefield when they were dying, just for a few hours. They quickly realized it turned them into zombies. So they abandoned the thought of using it on US soldiers and decided it could be a great biological warfare weapon against other countries. But the virus leaked when that one subject escaped in the opening scene and it all went to hell.
This origin story has been abandoned now as Snyder has now said the origin of the virus is alien and originates from Area 51.
Kreig reveals Vegas had not been nuked earlier because of special interests controlling the US government. They thought Vegas was too precious a property and made too much money for the US government so they did not want to annihilate so much infrastructure. They instead hoped the zombies would die out which seemed to be happening before Kate infiltrated Vegas and discovered the US government's secret forcing them to now nuke the city.
The movie offers no explanation as to why Vegas wasn’t nuked earlier.
Heroes discover an alive human woman Lucy trapped in the Sahara. Lucy thinks she is going to die and escapes the casino in a car but the zombies overwhelm her. The heroes watch in horror from the windows but to their surprise the zombies don't kill Lucy and carry her safely to the Luxor.
The Luxor is the alpha zombie’s lair.
The Olympus is the alpha zombie’s lair.
The professor is studying some zombie corpses (specially the corpse of the child zombie) and discovers the zombie's dirty secret. They are cross-breeding. The reason they are sparing women is that the apha zombie is raping them in the Luxor to create hybrids. The zombie child was one such hybrid. They grow up to about a 10 year old human body in a few months and (will achieve adult bodies in a few more months) and are very lethal. The zombies are building an army of these next level ultra lethal hybrids. That's their motivation - they will build an arm of these lethal hybrids and then escape Vegas and mount an attack on humans.
The movie provides no motivation or plan for the zombies.
Kate is traumatized by this revelation and gets an emotional promise from Scott. He will do everything in his power to stop the alpha zombie from raping Kate if it ever came to that, even kill her to prevent it if needed. Scott doesn’t think that will happen but makes her that promise nevertheless.
One of the dead zombies was not dead and infects Kreig. He also infects the Professor and Scott has to kill him. The team is now down to 7.
The heroes are betrayed
Vanderohe betrays the team. He decides he wants the money stored in the underground vaults. The thing is - the vault is controlled by the same security system that keeps the zombies out of the casino. He undoes the security system, enters the vault and locks himself inside with the money and food and water supplies to survive the nuclear blast. The Team is now down to 6.
The betrayal is shocking because it comes from a valued team member.
The betrayal in the movie is not shocking because Martin was shady from the beginning.
As soon as the security system goes down, the casino is swarming with zombies. Sidekick and Soldier die. Team now down to 4. Hacker manages to get the monorail to work and the remaining four - Hacker, Scott, Kate and Pilot manage to get on as the train leaves the Sahara on its way to the airport. The train crashes at the airport as the brakes are not working and the zombies on the ground again attack.
Kate presents a barrier to safety and Ending
The zombies kidnap Kate and take her to Luxor.
Kate goes into the Olympus on her to save Geeta.
Scott, Pilot and Hacker grab a helicopter and can fly out but have to go to Luxor to save Kate.
Scott and Pilot can fly out but have to go to the Olympus to save Kate.
Scott goes into the Luxor to save Kate. He sees various rooms where corpses of human women are seen. The zombie children tear out of the womb from the inside killing the human woman. An entire army of fresh born hybrid children is on the ground floor. In an upper room, Scott discovers a nude Kate next to the alpha zombie but saves her. They run for the helicopter.
[Show spoiler]In both versions the alpha zombie latches on to the helicopter and bites Scott, turning him and Kate is forced to kill her father.
The team is now down to 3 - Kate, Hacker and Pilot.
[Show spoiler]Vanderohe also survives the nuke in the bunker and makes his way to Mexico in both versions.
He's uninfected.
[Show spoiler]He's infected.
The movie ends here. The script goes on and it is even more devastating, depressing and nihilistic than the movie.
Kate, Hacker and Pilot land the helicopter next to a diner and go in. The owners, realizing they have come from Vegas and fearing they are infected, shoot them in the head. Hacker and Pilot die instantly. Kate becomes comatose and a vegetable. She's lying alone in her hospital room when her stomach moves. Cut to black. (She was raped by Alpha Zombie after all and Scott couldn’t keep his promise to save her.)
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