‘Zombieland 2’ Officially Moving Forward with Original Cast

After years of being nothing more than a mockery, 2009’s Zombieland helped revive the zombie subgenre by combining humor with horror for an exciting adventure. Rumors about a follow-up film have circulated for years, thanks to the film’s fervent fan base, with The Hollywood Reporter confirming that the project is officially moving forward with original cast members Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, and Abigail Breslin. The film is aiming for an October 2019 release with Ruben Fleischer returning to direct a script from original writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese.

According to the outlet, “The new movie will once again put the focus on comic mayhem, taking the quartet from the White House to the American heartland as they face off against new kinds of zombies that have evolved since the first movie, as well as some new human survivors. But, most of all, according to the studio, they have to face the growing pains of their own snarky, makeshift family.”

Wernick and Reese’s success with the Deadpool films have opened up opportunities to develop this sequel, with the duo having hinted at the project earlier this year.

“We’re going on the tenth anniversary of Zombieland,” Wernick admitted to Vulture. “Zombieland came out October of 2009. We don’t know what you get someone for their tenth anniversary, but it may be a Zombieland 2.”

“The hope is that we’re shooting that thing early 2019 for an October of ’19 release,” Wernick continued, “With the original cast, by the way.”

Thanks to this film and the debut of The Walking Dead, zombie-related projects have risen from the dead to deliver audiences interesting spins on the subgenre of horror.

“This is one of those projects that fans have wanted to see happen for a long time – and no one wanted to see it happen more than Emma, Woody, Jesse, and Abigail,” Columbia Pictures president Sanford Panitch shared in a statement. “These are some of the most in-demand actors and I think they are making this movie because they love these characters. We are thrilled Ruben was willing to come back to direct the sequel, as his work on Venom has been truly amazing.”

Stay tuned for details about Zombieland 2.

Do you think the sequel can capture the magic of the original? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

[H/T The Hollywood Reporter]