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A fifth installment of the hit Disney Channel Original Movie ZOMBIES franchise has been greenlit for Disney+ and Disney Channel, with Malachi Barton and Freya Skye set to return to their breakout roles as Victor and Nova.
Franchise stars Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly return to executive produce, while Trevor Tordjman returns as Bucky, the cheer captain and cousin of Addison from the original trilogy. The film begins production this spring in New Zealand. An official title will be announced at a later date.
Following the events of ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires, 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 to protect the fragile harmony they worked so hard to build.
The returning cast includes Malachi Barton as Victor, Freya Skye as Nova, Swayam Bhatia as Vera, Julian Lerner as Ray, and Mekonnen Knife as Vargas from “ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires. New to the franchise are a trio of mysterious mermaids: Diaana Babnicova as cool-girl Pearl, Taylor Oliver as bad-boy Fin, and Olive Mortimer as tech-wiz Sandy. Emily Costtrici joins the cast as zombie Izzy, Zed’s zombie cousin and new transfer student.
DGA Award-winner Paul Hoen, director and executive producer of the entire “ZOMBIES” franchise, will return for this latest installment. Also returning are executive producers Jane Fleming, Mark Ordesky, Joseph Raso and David Light and producer Skot Bright, as well as Manheim and Donnelly. The movie features next-level dance sequences, choreographed by Dondraico Johnson, and an original score composed by Tom Howe. Joining the creative team are writers Chris Hazzard, Michael Fontana and Eydie Faye.
The ZOMBIES franchise has become one of the most popular Disney Channel Original Movie franchises. The summer 2024 premiere of “ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires” garnered 9.3 million views globally in its first nine days streaming, amassing 43 million views in less than 6 months.
The ZOMBIES 5 arrives as 2026 celebrates the milestone anniversaries of “High School Musical” and “Hannah Montana,” leading into the premieres of new franchise installments “Descendants: Wicked Wonderland” and “Camp Rock 3” this summer. Last summer’s hit “Descendants/ZOMBIES Worlds Collide Tour” now includes a concert special streaming on Disney+, and it was just announced that the “Worlds Collide Tour” will return this year with talent from “Descendants,” “ZOMBIES” and “Camp Rock” franchises.
