(CBR) After lying dead for years, the planned sequel to the 2009 comedy “Zombieland” is suddenly showing signs of life.
Deadline reports Sony Pictures has hired “Godzilla” screenwriter Dave Callaham to tackle the script under the supervision of Ruben Fleischer, who”s expected to return to direct (although studio insiders contend no deal is in place).
Penned by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the original film starred Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin as survivors of a zombie apocalypse on a cross-country road trip to the purported safety of the Los Angeles amusement park Pacific Playland. It grossed more than $102 million worldwide.
While Fleischer admitted in January that the odds of a “Zombieland 2” were “slim,” he said, “I would not wanna put a nail in that coffin.” The director revealed the sequel would, of course, center on the same characters, but would up the stakes a bit. “I guess the only thing I could really say is that the threat to our heroes wasn”t only zombies,” he said, “like they encounter other people that they”re all jockeying for positions.”
Whether the original cast will reprise their roles as Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita and Little Rock remains to be seen.
Initially intended for television, “Zombieland” nearly came full circle last year when Amazon ordered a pilot from Reese and Wernick that picked up with the same characters (played by different actors) about two weeks after the events of the movie. However, “Zombieland: The Series” didn”t move beyond the pilot, with Reese saying the film”s fans “successfully hated it out of existence.”