The Zombieland 2 script is in place, all of the core cast members “love it,” and all that’s missing now is the green light from Sony.
At least, that’s according to writing duo Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, who spoke with ComicBook.com in anticipation of Sony’s star-studded sci-fi pic, Life. First off, the latter confirmed that Zombieland 2 is still very much in active development, and both writers are currently in the process of sussing out the logistics – actor contracts, the allocated budget…you name it – before receiving the green light from the studio. Here’s the latest word on the Zombieland sequel, courtesy of Paul Wernick:
“It is [in active development]. We’re trying to get it going. All of our cast have read the script and love it. Ruben [Fleischer] is signed on. It’s just a matter of making our cast deals and making it for a budget number. All the cast have become superstars now so, we made Zombieland with 20 million, so it’s trying to fit that financial model into the sequel model so it makes sense for the studio and being able to pay the actors what they now get paid and deserve to paid.”
Bouncing off that, Reese compared his campaign for Zombieland 2 to the same one that generated Fox’s interest in Deadpool all those years ago. And though it’s not strictly speaking apples to apples, we’re hoping the pair’s commitment to the gig yields a similar result.
“We see [Sony Pictures chairman] Tom Rothman pretty frequently now and we’re pestering that dude. He’s like, ‘Please, enough with the Zombieland talk!’ We’re pestering him the way we pestered Fox on Deadpool. We’re not letting it go. We really want to see Zombieland 2.”
Eight years on from the release of the original Zombieland movie and Reese and Wernick aren’t about to give up the ghost anytime soon. But as Wernick alludes to, those core cast members – particularly Jesse Eisenberg and Emma Stone – have gone on to become huge names in the movie industry. Toss in Woody Harrelson’s stacked schedule (see: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Disney’s Han Solo movie) and it would appear Reese and Wernick are facing an uphill battle when it comes to Zombieland 2. CinemaCon kicks off on March 27th, though, so perhaps we’ll hear some form of update there.
Life, meanwhile, descends into theaters tomorrow, March 24th, and will be competing against Lionsgate’s Power Rangers movie for box office supremacy.