2009’s zombie based comedy (zom-com/zomedy) Zombieland; the cross-country zombie killing road-trip that starred Woody Harrelson (Defendor) as the gun-loving zombie-hater Tallahassee, Adventureland’s Jesse Eisenberg as the nerdy hero who survives the zombie-infested U.S. by sticking religiously to his set of survival rules, Emma Stone (Superbad) as his potential love interest, and Abigail Breslin (My Sister’s Keeper) as her younger sister; was a rousing success, and instantly had fans hoping for a sequel.
Whilst currently hard at work on the set of 30 Minutes or Less, director Ruben Fleischer (who’s directed several episodes of Funny or Die Presents…) said that he and the writers have been hard at work on the script for Zombieland 2 (or at least its first draft), and that it is now well underway.
He’s also confirmed (although the news isn’t a massive shocker) that Zombieland 2; if and when it finally materializes; will be filmed in 3D, because he “thinks it’s cool to see stuff fly at your face”, and “understands Mr Cameron’s point as far as not overdoing it and not making it gimmicky”; as Avatar director, and 3D innovator, James Cameron recently spoke out against 3D horror flick Piranha 3D, labeling it as gimmicky and damaging to the format; but still “goes for that stuff” because as he says “the idea of zombies splattering into the lens is exciting; that’s the part I’m excited about.”
But aside from having “zombies splattering into the lens” it doesn’t sound as if too much has been decided; as Fleischer has stated that he and the writers have toyed with the idea of picking up exactly where the first movie left off, beginning the film a good deal after the events of the first movie, and even including prequel elements; as he has said that “one of the fun things about Zombieland is it humps all over the place in terms of the storyline, giving us the freedom and flexibility to show different periods; scenes before the zombies, or some months after; through the voice-over and the way the movie is structured we can really explore all different sides of it.”
So while the script hasn’t yet been completed, and the cast obviously haven’t been locked in (something that shouldn’t too much of an issue, as all have stated that they’d be more than willing to come back for a second; Woody Harrelson even made a point of saying that it’s one of the only movies he’s worked on where he wanted to do a sequel as soon as the first wrapped), there’s still some ways to go before a release date can be officially set.
Ruben Fleischer’s also eyeing up other projects in the meantime; with his name having been linked to action/comedy Babe in the Woods, and an untitled cop-comedy for Dreamworks; which could see the release of the second Zombieland pushed back even further, just as the release of The Social Network (a film based on the creation of Facebook, and starring Jesse Eisenberg) could; as many predict it may skyrocket Eisenberg’s career, upping his salary, and clamming up his schedule.
