Disney confirms MERMAIDS with ‘ZOMBIES 5’ greenlight, starring Freya Skye and Malachi Barton

LOS ANGELES — “ZOMBIES 5” has officially been greenlit at Disney+ and Disney Channel, with stars Freya Skye and Malachi Barton set to reprise their “ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires” roles as Nova and Victor.

Returning to executive produce are Milo Manheim and Meg Donnelly, franchise stars who originated the roles of Zed and Addison. Trevor Tordjman will reprise his role as Bucky, the beloved cheer captain and cousin of Addison.

Also returning from “ZOMBIES 4” are Swayam Bhatia as Vera, Julian Lerner as Ray and Mekonnen Knife as Vargas.

Along with the exciting confirmation of a new film comes the confirmation of mermaids! Fans will remember the ending of “ZOMBIES 4,” where a giant water tornado emerges out of the ocean.

There’s been a lot of speculation about what this could mean for the next movie (and even Skye had some theories when we last spoke with her in October 2025), and now we finally have our answer!

Joining the franchise as a trio of mysterious mermaids are 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.

“‘ZOMBIES’ has become a defining franchise for the current generation,” said Ayo Davis, president, Disney Branded Television. “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.”

Paul Hoen, director and executive producer of the entire “ZOMBIES” franchise, will return for this latest installment. Other returning executive producers include Jane Fleming, Mark Ordesky, Joseph Raso and David Light and producer Skot Bright. The movie features 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.

Production begins this spring in New Zealand, which is where primary shooting took place for the previous film.

An official title will be announced at a later date.

The “ZOMBIES” franchise is streaming now on Disney+.

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Disney+ and this station.