Disney Channel and Disney+ have approved a fifth installment in the Zombies franchise, but original leads Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly will not reprise their roles as Zed and Addison. The film will instead feature Malachi Barton and Freya Skye as the main characters. Production is set to start this spring in New Zealand.
The Zombies series, a popular Disney Channel Original Movie franchise, continues with Zombies 5, announced for release on Disney Channel and Disney+. While Manheim and Donnelly step away from acting in the film, they remain involved as executive producers.
Malachi Barton and Freya Skye will lead the story, returning as Victor and Nova from Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires. Trevor Tordjman reprises his role as Bucky, joined by returning cast members Swayam Bhatia as Vera, Julian Lerner as Ray, and Mekonnen Knife as Vargas. New characters include a group of mermaids portrayed by Diaana Babnicova as Pearl, Taylor Oliver as Fin, and Olive Mortimer as Sandy. Emily Costtrici joins the cast as Izzy, described as Zed’s zombie cousin and a new transfer student.
The plot centers on the peace between Daywalkers and Vampires being challenged by arriving mermaids in Rayburn, who use a siren song to attract allies. Nova and Victor must collaborate to uncover the mermaids' intentions and safeguard their harmony. The official logline states: “The newfound peace between the Daywalkers and Vampires is put to the test when a band of fierce mermaids arrives in Rayburn, making waves and casting a persuasive siren song to lure in new allies. Nova and Victor must unite their groups once more to discover what the mermaids are really after in order to protect the fragile harmony they worked so hard to build.”
Paul Hoen returns to direct, having helmed all previous films, and will executive produce alongside Manheim, Donnelly, Jane Fleming, Mark Ordesky, Joseph Raso, and David Light. Skot Bright serves as producer, with choreography by Dondraico Johnson and score by Tom Howe. Writers Chris Hazzard, Michael Fontana, and Eydie Faye are new to the project.
Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television, commented: “‘Zombies’ has become a defining franchise for the current generation. With each movie, we intentionally push the story somewhere new. Introducing mermaids in ‘Zombies 5’ opens up a completely different dynamic, while staying true to the music, characters and themes of unity and acceptance that are at the heart of these films.”
The franchise has seen strong performance, with the first three films achieving major ratings and streaming success. Zombies 4 garnered 9.3 million global views in its first nine days and reached 43 million views in under six months.
