The co-creator of Zombieland has publicly denied that Zombieland 2 has been completed, and shot down recent rumors that test screenings were taking place. Rhett Reese - who wrote the original movie with Paul Wernick - recently posted a comment online that contradicts all reports about a planned screening of the sequel, and suggests that fans still have a substantial wait for any real footage.

The original Zombieland was released in 2009, with the comedy/horror becoming a cult favorite and making over $102m worldwide from a production budget of just over $23m. It told the story of 4 survivors re-naming themselves after states - played by Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, and Abigail Breslin - in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. A theatrical sequel has long been anticipated. Reese and Wernick announced the completion of the script early in 2017, but the full details were kept under wraps. The writing duo did state that they hoped to get it to theaters by 2019, to mark the original film's 10th anniversary. Full confirmations regarding the cast and director were absent, although it was expected that the previous leads and director (Ruben Fleischer) would all return if possible.

However, in the last few months there have been 'leaks' about the story details, along with the new title 'Zombieland Too', that surfaced online. And within the last couple of days, it was reported that there would be a secret test screening of the film - now called 'Zombieland 2: Double Tap' - which was due to take place in Long Beach, California during June 7. This was subsequently cancelled after news concerning the event appeared online, but many assumed that this meant that the sequel had already been shot and completed. To further confuse matters Reese took to his Twitter account following the incident and denied that the film had even been finished. He makes one simple statement which can be seen in his post below:

Unless it's an attempt at misdirection or changes are being made late in the day (both of which are unlikely), it certainly cast doubts on what was going to be shown at the California screening. Prior to the cancellation there was an element of believability about the event, with 'Double Tap' cleverly referring to the 2nd entry on the survival list that Columbus compiled for the apocalypse. As for the other rumors circulating about 'Super Zombies' and rescue missions taking place in the sequel, Reese has kept all his cards close to his chest and there are probably still plenty of surprises and 'fake news' items to look forward to before it finally hits theaters.

Hopefully there will be some official updates about the sequel soon, including confirmations about the casting. In the meantime, after enjoying the success of Deadpool 2 (which they also co-wrote), Reese and Wernick are currently working on the Netflix movie Six Underground which will team them up with Ryan Reynolds again. However, fans certainly hope that the intended anniversary release of Zombieland 2 (or whatever the title turns out to be) still happens next year.

MORE: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick Interview: Deadpool 2

Source: Rhett Reese