Star Woody Harrelson expresses his desire to return as beloved zombie apocalypse survivor Tallahassee for a potential Zombieland 3. The franchise first got underway in 2009 with the eponymous zombie comedy in which a geeky college student makes his way through a post-apocalyptic United States and meets three strangers, all of whom take an extended road trip to find a rumored sanctuary away from the dead. Harrelson starred in the original Zombieland alongside Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin.
Written by future Deadpool scribes Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick and helmed by future Venom director Ruben Fleischer, Zombieland was a smash hit upon release, initially surpassing Dawn of the Dead as the top-grossing zombie film and receiving rave reviews from critics. Plans for a sequel were discussed ahead of the first film's release, with the cast all voicing their desires to return and the writing duo teasing ideas though stating their busy schedules were delaying their efforts and the stars slowly expressing their hesitations. However, once the project was officially revived in early 2016 with writing getting underway from Reese and Wernick, the cast all eagerly returned and Zombieland: Double Tap arrived in theaters just in time for the original's tenth anniversary, scoring largely positive reviews from critics again and outgrossing its predecessor with over $122 million earned at the box office.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant's Ash Crossan for the upcoming Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Harrelson reflected on the possibility of Zombieland 3. Though noting he's heard no talks about it currently being in the works, he did express his hopes to return to the comedic zombie apocalypse and his love for his co-stars. See what Harrelson said below:
"I haven't heard anything about it from many of the creative elements. I would love to do it because I just love those guys. That whole group is really... That's a singularly wonderful, fun, amazingly funny group of people. So what I'm saying is I'm open to it. And Ash, if there's anything you can do to make it happen, I would be most grateful."
The thought of a Zombieland sequel seemed like a wash for many fans in the years following the release of the first film, though upon it officially entering development and hitting theaters in 2019, Zombieland: Double Tap proved to be well worth the wait for most. In the lead up to the sequel's release, the cast and crew all expressed an interest to return every 10 years similar to Richard Linklater's Before Trilogy and Harrelson's note of hearing no talks of a threequel's development does seem to be in line with that possibly happening. However, given everyone's increasingly busy schedules, namely Harrelson's expanded role in Sony's Spider-Man Universe and Reese and Wernick developing a series adaptation of Twisted Metal, it could also be the creatives behind the franchise have their priorities lying elsewhere.
That being said, Harrelson's request for Screen Rant's own Ash Crossan to help get Zombieland 3 made does seemingly indicate there could be more to the lack of development. Double Tap proved that the ten-year gap between films certainly didn't hurt the film's chances at success, which would make the jokes of another decade-long wait not a complete detriment to fans' anticipation for a threequel. In the meantime, audiences can look forward to Harrelson bringing Carnage to life on the big screen for the first time when Venom: Let There Be Carnage arrives on October 1.