Once seemingly drifting toward the waters of Development Hell, the sequel to the well-loved horror-comedy Zombieland ended up taking on a rather different form than its predecessor. Now set to become a "television" series streaming on Amazon, Zombieland has been lurching quickly toward full production in recent months.

Boasting the same writing team as the feature film (Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick) and a well-established pilot director (Eli Craig, of Tucker and Dale vs. Evil), Zombieland only needed to round out its primary cast and get the go-ahead from Amazon to start filming. As of this week, the series has done both.

Now, we're getting word that Amazon Studios has officially greenlit Zombieland, which has subsequently begun shooting material. As if in commemoration of the occasion, the first images from the show's set have made their way onto the Internet. You can check out the photos, from the opening days of production - HERE.

These images show none of the series' primary cast – rather, they act as confirmation that the Amazon-hosted Zombieland will remain as drolly gory as the previous film. At the very least, audiences will definitely get a new dose of undead in interesting attire ripping at internal organs.

In addition to the announcement of filming, it has been confirmed that actor Kirk Ward (The Island) has been picked to play Tallahassee, a role previously played by Woody Harrelson. Ward joins a cast of relatively unknown actors that includes Tyler Ross (Columbus), Maiara Walsh (Wichita), and Izabel Vidovic (Little Rock).

'Zombieland'

Ward himself has had a long career playing secondary or supporting roles in film and television. He has appeared in Forrest Gump, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and Lords of Dogtown. Though not a household name, Ward is an experienced stand-up comic who has performed an acclaimed one-man show, 3 Stories Tall, at theaters around the US.

An outsized performance in a movie full of quirky characters, Harrelson's Tallahassee was one of Zombieland's main selling points. As such, it makes sense to cast a veteran comedic actor to fill Harrelson's swaggering cowboy boots. Ward's relative lack of experience in primary roles will worry some fans, but the wry confidence in his promos for 3 Stories Tall goes a long way toward assuaging that anxiety. Now, we just need to see whether he can affect a convincing Southern accent.

We're closer than ever to finding out when Zombieland will be available for download. Keep an eye on Screen Rant as more details shamble into the daylight.

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With Zombieland officially in production, the series will soon have a definitive release date.

Sources: Screen Crush