First Hints About How Zombieland Will Become a Weekly TV Show
Zombieland was one of the freshest horror comedies of the past decade — and there were reports in late 2011 that it was going to become a TV show for CBS. Now, it looks like the Zombieland TV show is actually a real thing, because casting calls just went out yesterday for the show's main characters.
Spoilers ahead...
We got hold of some script pages that are being used for casting purposes — which may or may not be indicative of what the actual pilot will end up being like, since a lot will change between now and then. But they definitely give us a sense of how the TV show will reinvent the main characters and their backstory a bit. There are casting calls for the four major characters from the film (Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita and Little Rock) plus a couple minor characters.
Here's how the characters would be portrayed somewhat differently on TV:
Tallahassee is still kind of a snarky weirdo, but he seems to have a much less spiky relationship with Columbus. He and Columbus have a pretty amusing thing where they riff on the fact that Steven Seagal movies always have three-word titles like "Marked for Justice" or "May Cause Diarrhea." But Tallahassee also dispenses homespun wisdom about how to feel happy with your life. He also tells a weird story about being in a trailer park with a perpetually nude Matthew McConaughey. He also has a somewhat heartwarming scene where he tells Columbus that he's been wandering aimlessly for a long time, but maybe he's been put here for a reason — to help Columbus and the others.
Columbus is much the same, except that he tracks down his grandma and grandpa (Bubbie and Peepaw) only to find them recently zombiefied. Also, Columbus is trying to deal with his newfound relationship with Wichita, after their first kiss. He has started calling her "Krista," her real name — but there are some problems, especially after she finds him reading a book about fatherhood. He tries to organize a romantic scavenger hunt for her in the IKEA they're camping out in, but it goes kind of horribly.
Wichita is still trying to look after Little Rock, trying to teach her math with problems about someone stealing from a liquor store and jumping on a train going 42 miles per hour, with a cop chasing in a car going 88 miles per hour. We also learn a lot more about Wichita's backstory, including how she ran away from her father after he had her stealing people's Christmas presents — and later, she found out she had a sister who was also being a grifter with her dad.
Little Rock seems actually kind of excited about meeting Columbus' grandparents, before they turn out to be zombies. And she shares some of her own backstory, about how her dad parked her at a school while he went off grifting on his own — and then yanked her out of school right before a dance that she was looking forward to.
Fred and Ainsley are two office workers at the start of the zombie apocalypse, obliviously complaining about problems with their iPhones and getting the wrong order at Starbucks, which they admit are "first world problems" with a hashtag — while people are being disembowled just outside the window they're not facing. Tallahassee shows up to bring them their lunch orders, wearing a green polo shirt.
All in all, it's very much in keeping with the style of humor of the film — and more importantly, the characters feel much the same. And at the same time, it sounds as though moving the romance between Columbus and Wichita forward will be a major focus of the TV show, and the relationships among the four main characters will probably become a bit sweeter and more like a family as the show goes on. But as a half-hour comedy about zombies, it looks quite promising.
I think Zombieland could work as a TV show but it doesn't seem like CBS' type of show. CBS seems to stick with fairly programmatic sitcoms and I don't see this fitting very well. It seems like there would need to be some gore and that it would work much better on a cable channel like FX.
Could prove interesting. The movie was good enough that I would atleast watch the first few episodes of a TV series. But I have to agree with Fatediesel & Elandyll - this show is not suited for CBS.
Could prove interesting. The movie was good enough that I would atleast watch the first few episodes of a TV series. But I have to agree with Fatediesel & Elandyll - this show is not suited for CBS.
Loved the movie, but like others have said, I don't really think it will work on CBS. Maybe they'll surprise me, but I will likely be sticking with just watching the movie when I want a Zombieland fix if this is still going to be on CBS.
I will say one thing. It landing on CBS gives it the best possible chance to last on any of the regular networks.
I'm game for this....but unless this is paired with Big Bang Theory, I don't see it flying well on CBS. I think it'd be better on Fox, F/X, AMC, or even pay networks ala Starz, Showtime, HBO... Most genre series on CBS die miserably... I'll never forget American Gothic.
Oh I'm not knocking CBS as a studio... It's probably my most watched station. They just don't have anything remotely close to a horror/comedy. The most "gore" they show is the autopsy scenes on the CSI/NCIS shows and I've even heard comments from people who love those shows that they stopped watching because it was "too graphic". Those are the bread and butter people for CBS and CBS will not want to offend them which means if the Zombieland TV series does end up on CBS it will be extremely editted and censored. And that's just not what the core audience for that type of show would want. We want the blood and gore. So it's a targeted audience problem rather than a Network problem for me.
Also hope they use real props and don't go the CGI route for special effects. Even with the advances in CGI technology it is still no where close to watching a handmade prop blow up and slimy chunks of meat go flying.
Loved the movie, not sure it will work for TV show but still looking forward to watching
Same here. I really enjoyed the movie, but without the same actors / actresses returning for the show, I doubt it will have the same level of charm as the movie.
According to the link while Zombieland is not going to be shown on any TV station and instead is going to be streamed exclusively on Amazon.
Quote:
Originally rumoured to be heading to FOX, the series will apparently eschew the traditional broadcast model altogether by streaming on Amazon's instant video service. io9.com recently obtained some casting sheets from the show, which called for the return of the movie's four major characters - Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita, and Little Rock - plus two newcomers, Fred and Ainsely. The latter pair are described as 'two office workers at the start of the zombie apocalypse, obliviously complaining about problems with their iPhones and getting the wrong order at Starbucks.'
If true this would make sense. With Netflix coming out with House of Cards and Arrested Development this year Amazon is going to have to come out with some original programming to compete, and it would make sense to adapt an established movie with a solid fan base.
Zombieland was one of the freshest horror comedies of the past decade — and there were reports in late 2011 that it was going to become a TV show for CBS. Now, it looks like the Zombieland TV show is actually a real thing, because casting calls just went out yesterday for the show's main characters.
CBS? First time I saw the movie, with the endless "quirkiness", and the intrusive running gags about the number graphics in "real life", my first comparison was that it would make a better struck-with-its-own-cleverness ABC series...
(Obviously they're not apologizing for any comparisons to The Walking Dead, but the last time the Big Three advertised "It's OUR version of that AMC cult cable series you like!", it didn't work out so well for "Pan Am".)
‘Tucker & Dale vs. Evil’ Director for in Talks for ‘Zombieland’ Show, Amazon Wants to Distribute
The Zombieland movie sequel may be dead for good, but the TV series is just coming back to life. Last week, we got word that the show was casting for new versions of Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita, and Little Rock. While there’s no news yet on who’ll replace Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin in the small-screen version, we’ve learned that Tucker and Dale vs. Evil helmer Eli Craig is in negotiations to direct. As for where, exactly, we’ll see the series, the latest buzz is that Amazon is eager to distribute. More details after the jump.
Sony Pictures TV is producing the half-hour comedy series. Deadline reports that movie screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are on board to write and executive produce, while Gavin Polone, who produced the film, will also serve as an executive producer.
Film director Ruben Fleischer is not expected to be involved. Instead, Craig will take over at the helm. The filmmaker showed an affinity for gory horror with a sense of humor in his debut feature Tucker and Dale vs Evil, which should make him just about perfect for Zombieland. Especially as Craig considers himself to be a huge fan of Fleischer’s picture. “Zombieland was just one of these fun rides,” he said. “The first 30 minutes were probably some of the most exciting and humorous action-comedy-horror filmmaking I’ve ever seen.”
Though the original Zombieland was a movie, the switch to the small screen is a return of sorts. Reese and Wernick initially envisioned the concept as a TV series, but CBS eventually passed and Syfy couldn’t close the deal to pick it up. Then Fleischer came along and helped turn it into a full-length feature. Last year, Reese, Wernick and Polone tried again to develop the premise for television, this time with Fox, but — obviously — that didn’t pan out either.
As of now, Amazon is in talks to distribute Zombieland the TV show via its streaming platform. The online retailer has been making moves toward original programming as of late, and greenlit six comedy pilots last month from Kristen Schaal, Garry Trudeau, The Onion, and more. If Amazon manages to finalize the deal with Sony TV, which will likely result in a straight-to-series order, Zombieland will be its first original scripted series.
Discuss: Will you watch the Zombieland show? Who do you want to see replace the main cast?
It's too bad the movie sequel is now dead...but I'm game for trying this out, but it has competition and needs to be a quality series because not all Walking Dead fans will cross-over....
The Zombieland pilot is now available to watch on Amazon Instant Video for Amazon Prime customers. Amazon released 14 pilots today and will choose whether to make additional episodes based on customer feedback.
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'Zombieland: The TV Series' in the Works
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