Due to the over-saturation of the zombie movie market in recent years, filmmakers have been trying to get a little more creative with their genre cross-overs. The newest member of the zom-com family is Life After Beth, which after premiering to solid reviews at Sundance, has been picked up for distribution by A24.
Jeff Baena, who co-wrote I Heart Huckabees, penned the screenplay and directed the film, which tells the story of a man named Zach (Dane DeHaan), who is devastated when his girlfriend (Aubrey Plaza) unexpectedly dies. Fortunately, he gets a second shot at love when she rises from the grave, but he soon learns that it’s not all that easy to sustain a relationship with a zombie.
If that plot doesn’t have you excited, perhaps the stellar cast will. In addition to DeHaan and Plaza, the film also stars Anna Kendrick, Matthew Gray Gubler, John C. Reilly, Molly Shannon and Paul Reiser.
I’ve been looking forward to Life After Beth ever since I first heard about it. Thankfully, the early reports coming out of Sundance are that it does not disappoint. Then again, with Plaza and DeHaan in the lead, how could it be anything less than awesome? She’s always hilarious and he seems to get better with every role. Throw in what sounds like a fun plot that could have wide appeal and it’s no surprise that the film was picked up for distribution.
A24 is going to be releasing the movie theatrically, but they also have a deal in place with DirectTV where the satellite provider will be able to show the movie exclusively for 30 days before it’s released anywhere else.
Tell us, are you excited that Life After Beth has been picked up? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.