Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires is the next installment in the Disney teen zombie movie franchise and there’s been some exciting news about the cast, story, and more. The Zombies movie franchise aired in 2018 as a Disney Channel Original Movie with Zombies 2 following soon after in 2020, which was then followed by Zombies 3 which aired in 2022 first on Disney+ and then on the Disney Channel. The musical adventure-comedy is in a lineage of Disney Channel Original Movies, with fun characters, exciting songs, and charming stories.

The basic premise of the franchise, which also includes two television series, is that a chemical explosion transformed half the town of Seabrook into zombies, but thanks to some quick ingenuity, the zombies had their hunger for flesh suppressed. Now, zombies and humans have to learn to get along, and zombie Zed Necrodopolis (Milo Manheim) and human cheerleader Addison Wells (Meg Donnelly) lead the integration after they fall in love. Successive entries have introduced new fantasy creatures. Here’s what’s been announced for Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires.

Zombies 4 Latest News

Julian Lerner Hinted At The Zombies 4 Release Date

The latest news for Zombies 4 comes from back in September 2024 when Julian Lerner, who plays Ray, said the movie should premiere in the summer of 2025 (via TheDirect). While that time has not been confirmed, Zombies 3 and other recent Disney Channel Original Movies also debuted in the summer, suggesting fans can expect Zombies 4 to arrive at a similar time of the year.

Zombies 4 Is Confirmed

Zombies 4: Dawn Of The Vampires Could Release In The Summer Of 2025

Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires was first announced in February 2024 with production set to start in March of the same year in New Zealand (via TVLine). At the same time, it was announced that Paul Hoen, who directed the first three films, would be behind the camera. The release window is supposedly sometime in the summer of 2025.

Zombies 4 Cast

There Are A Lot Of New Characters In Dawn Of The Vampires

Zombies 4 will see the return of key characters such as Milo Manheim as Zed, Meg Donnelly as Addison, Chandler Kinney as Willa, and Kylee Russell as Eliza. Newcomers to the franchise include Freya Skye as Nova and Malachi Barton as Victor, who are supernatural strangers Zed and Addison will meet on their summer travels. Other newcomers to the franchise include Swayam Bhatia as Vera, Julian Lerner as Ray, Mekonnen Knife as Vargas, Lisa Chappell as Eldress, and Jonno Roberts as Commander Bed (via ᴅᴇᴀᴅline).

Zombies 4 Story Details

Two New Groups Of Monsters Are Coming

Zombies 4 will actually skip the first year of Addison and Zed’s college experience, jumping to the summer between their freshmen and sophomore years. This summer, they are taking a road trip together, and in the words of the official synopsis,

“They unexpectedly discover the warring worlds of Sunnyside and Shadyside and encounter two new groups of monsters.”

The zombies, werewolves, and aliens are all surprised by the introduction of these new groups, one of which is almost certain to be vampires, and the second of which remains a mystery. In 2022, Donnelly joked that a future movie in the franchise could feature mermaids as a new group of monsters, so that’s certainly a possibility (via J-14). These newcomers in Zombies 4 are certain to present trouble for Zed and Addison and likely present some new song opportunities as well.