One of the most coveted directing jobs up for grabs in Hollywood right now is for a movie that is being described as a “Victorian-era ‘Zombieland’” – or, rather, the film adaptation of author Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
Director David O. Russell bailed on P&P&Z earlier this month and now there are more than half a dozen filmmakers that are said to be circling the project, which could start filming in a couple of months.
We reported earlier this week that the P&P&Z adaptation is still alive, even after Russell’s departure, and was already attracting potential directors. Mike Newell (Prince of Persia) was being touted as an early frontrunner alongside Neil Marshall (Centurion). Deadline had suggested that David Slade (Eclipse) could definitely be in the running as well – which is certainly possible, given how unofficial all this information is for the time being.
The Wrap has now added five new names to the mix of potential Pride & Prejudice & Zombies directors, including Oscar-winner Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs); Matt Reeves (Let Me In); Mike White (Year of the Dog); and filmmaking duo Chris Miller and Phil Lord (Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs). It’s quite the eclectic list, to put it mildly.
L to R: Demme, Reeves, and White are just a few of the names in the running to helm 'P&P&Z'.
Four of the these rumored P&P&Z directing candidates – Demme, Marshall, Reeves, and Slade – have worked in the horror genre before, while Lord, Miller, and White are experienced with directing comdies but not much else. Newell still has by and far the more diverse background and his resume includes big-budget FX-driven pics like the fourth Harry Potter movie and smaller films like the British comedy Four Weddings & a Funeral and the Julia Roberts “inspirational dramedy” Mona Lisa Smile.
None of these names jump out as a natural fit for P&P&Z – though, really, is there any filmmaker that comes to mind when you think of a project that features corsets, romance, and creepy undead monsters? Perhaps Tim Burton, but he’s already off producing another cinematic adaptation of a Seth Grahame-Smith book, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
Lionsgate wants production on Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to begin in early 2011, so expect to hear about a director being officially brought onboard in the near future.
Source: The Wrap
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They should get the same people who did the 2005 version of “Pride and Prejudice”. I can already see Keira Knightley and Judi Dench kicking butt as directed by the director of the same film and “Atonement”.
Zombies will go everywhere