The movie adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith‘s novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is still undead and kicking. Though it’s been stuck in a development spiral since 2009, it seems to be inching closer to production. As you can guess from the title, the mashup pits the characters of Jane Austen’s classic against a zombie menace. The stubborn yet elegant Elizabeth Bennet turns her skills towards wiping out the undead, and she probably has to use more than proper etiquette to do so.
Grahame-Smith’s regency zombie story was originally set up at Lionsgate but is now in the hands of Darko Entertainment and Handsomecharlie Films. Burr Steers is slated to be in the director’s chair, and the film has a screenplay, producers, and a star, Lily Collins (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones). The announcement about Collins came in May of last year, and not much new has been heard about the film since then.
But, now there is hope: Dread Central is reporting that they’ve heard from Berlin EFM that “the cast is falling into place and the flick is just about ready to shoot!†It’s not confirmed, but the news sounds optimistic. If that’s the case, we should be hearing more about who’s filling the shoes of roles like Mr. Darcy sooner rather than later.
Do you think Pride and Prejudice and Zombies should move forward or does the project need a shot to the head? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
HT: Blastr
As a fan equally obsessed with both Jane Austen and all things zombie, I can’t wait!
M
Like all books that have movie potential, this should be handled carefully. Not to be sexist here…I’m totally about to be sexist. Dudes will like a zombie movie, but how many of them have read the original story? How many chicks read the original, but have no love of zombie flicks? I have read both and loved both. Movies that originated from books often fall short of the glory that the book provided, which gives the world a lackluster movie that leaves people going, “What the check was that?!”
Should this clever piece of literature…yeah, I said LITERATURE (because I am a nerd) come to the big screen, it needs to be handled subtly and with respect. The helm should be given to a director who will not polarize either the zombie geeks or the Austen nerds. I vote for Rodriguez. Subtle.