Zombies 5 is Officially Happening on Disney+ and Disney Channel with Malachi Barton and Freya Skye Returning
A fifth installment of the popular *Zombies* movie franchise has been officially approved for production by Disney+ and the Disney Channel. This new entry will feature *Zombies 4* stars Malachi Barton and Freya Skye as Victor and Nova, respectively. Notably, the franchise’s original leads, Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly, will not reprise their roles as Zed and Addison, although they will serve as executive producers for the project. Trevor Tordjman is set to return as Bucky, the cheer captain and cousin of Addison from the original trilogy.
Production is scheduled to commence this spring in New Zealand, with the official title for the film to be announced later.
The plot follows the aftermath of *Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires*, where the fragile peace between Daywalkers and Vampires faces new challenges as a group of formidable mermaids arrives in Rayburn. As the mermaids attempt to lure new allies with their captivating siren song, Nova and Victor find themselves tasked with uniting their communities once again to uncover the mermaids’ true motives and safeguard the harmony they have strived to achieve.
The returning cast includes Swayam Bhatia as Vera, Julian Lerner as Ray, and Mekonnen Knife as Vargas from *Zombies 4*. New members joining the franchise are a trio of enigmatic mermaids: Diaana Babnicova as the cool-girl Pearl, Taylor Oliver as the bad-boy Fin, and Olive Mortimer as the tech-savvy Sandy. Emily Costtrici will appear as Izzy, Zed’s zombie cousin and a new transfer student.
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Returning to direct and executive produce this latest installment is Paul Hoen. Other executive producers include Jane Fleming, Mark Ordesky, Joseph Raso, and David Light, along with producer Skot Bright, alongside Manheim and Donnelly. Disney has indicated that the film will showcase advanced dance sequences choreographed by Dondraico Johnson, complemented by an original score from composer Tom Howe. The writing team consists of Chris Hazzard, Michael Fontana, and Eydie Faye.
The *Zombies* franchise has rapidly become one of the most successful offerings from Disney Channel Original Movies. Nielsen data shows that the first three films topped cable telecasts in their premiere years among children aged 6-11 and tweens aged 9-14. Cumulatively, the franchise has amassed 385 million hours of viewing across both linear and streaming platforms in the U.S. The summer 2024 premiere of *Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires* recorded 9.3 million views globally within its first nine days of streaming, reaching a total of 43 million views in under six months.
