'Zombieland' Sequel on the Way? 'Zombieland 2' Writer and Director Hired
A "Zombieland" sequel is inching closer towards production, according to reports. The 2009 original horror-comedy managed to gross nearly $100 million worldwide on a $23 million budget, so its no wonder why Sony has hired a writer and director to begin working on "Zombieland 2."
The "Zombieland" sequel screenplay will be written by Dave Callaham, who also wrote summer blockbuster "Godzilla," according to Deadline. Ruben Fleischer, who directed the first film, is allegedly being brought back for the sequel by Sony, insiders told The Hollywood Reporter.
Still, there are some hurdles to clear before the film is completed. The stars of the film are much more in demand now than they were five years ago: Jesse Eisenberg has since starred in "The Social Network," Emma Stone has been featured in "The Amazing Spider-Man" films, and Abigail Breslin has gone on to do more horror films as her career has progressed. All of the stars including Woody Harrelson could ask for higher salaries, which may not match with the film's estimated low budget.
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Some have speculated that possibly all the characters may not return for the sequel, which is a possibility, according to Hollywood News Daily.
In addition, "Zombieland 2" has been in the works for some time by original writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, but the project "stalled," the pair said. In May of 2013 a pilot was filmed for Amazon's online streaming service, but the project wasn't picked up — longtime fans of the cult flick slammed the serialized show.
"I'll never understand the vehement hate the pilot received from die-hard Zombieland fans," Reese wrote on his Twitter account at the time. "You guys successfully hated it out of existence."
"Zombieland" the film got rave reviews during its release, garnering a 90 out of a 100 "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is about a group of wary survivors who travel to an amusement park while dodging zombies on the way.
