Zack Snyder moved on from his DC franchise to establish a new universe over at Netflix. Taking another stab at the zombie genre, he twisted it in creative ways through Army of the Dead. The story explored an unlikely group of mercenaries that are pulling off a casino heist during a zombie apocalypse. In that team is the German named Ludwig Dieter played by long-time German star Matthias Schweighöfer.
He’s made quite the name in the German-speaking market but now he had his big time to shine in the States when he joined Snyder’s new film and was going to lead its first prequel, Army of Thieves. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he talks about the scene where he tried his best to prove he’s part of the big leagues now.
It was a ten-minute scene in the original version. It was huge. There was one moment where I knew, ‘OK, I’m in this film. It’s when Dave touches the blueprint, and I say, ‘Take your sausage fingers away, Mr. Big Hand.’ Dave started laughing. Zack started laughing. And I knew, ‘OK, welcome to the show.’
Matthias Schweighöfer
It seems he didn’t have much time, as he just met the director before this scene and had to perform to confirm his place in this new film. His character even became quite the popular character for many viewers. So, Schweighöfer’s casting was one of Snyder’s best moves yet he does confirm it was one of the more difficult roles to cast. THR’s Aaron Couch added on Twitter that he became a fan-favorite during test screenings just as Army of Thieves was already in pre-production.
When Schweighöfer found out they were looking for a director, he threw his hat in the ring fresh off of his experience in the Amazon series You Are Wanted. The Snyders took a gander at it and it helped convince them he was the man for the job. So, once they got the green light, they gave him the call. The rest, as they say, is history.
Source: Twitter, Hollywood Reporter
