First the director is out of the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies movie adaptation, now Natalie Portman. That doesn’t sound good for fans of the book.
Seth Grahame-Smith probably felt like many people do about Jane Austen literature: that it’s boring and in need of a jazzy update. As it turns out, zombies were the necessary ingredient, and Grahame-Smith wound up with a huge hit on his hands when he published Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance – Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem! A movie adaptation of the satire was announced, producing by and starring Natalie Portman, though rumors circulating in Hollywood now claim that she’s bailed on the project after the film’s director left, which means it’s dead in the water.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Portman has decided to leave Pride and Prejudice and Zombies in lieu of the new Superman flick that’s being directed by Zack Snyder. Portman will supposedly be playing Lois Lane.
Meanwhile, it was reported earlier this week that the zombie movie’s director, David O. Russell, was leaving the project because of scheduling conflicts with Portman, so he’ll instead be directing a dramedy called Old St. Louis. So, without a director, star, or producer, it sounds like the movie adaptation isn’t going to be hitting theaters any time soon.
Meanwhile, If you haven’t read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, you should go ahead and pick up a copy; as John Funk once stated about the book: “It’s goddamn hilarious. The fact that somebody thought, ‘Hey, I freakin’ love this masterpiece of English literature, but you know what it really needs? Zombies!’ … well, that’s going to cheer me up for a good few days at the very least. It is a sad fact that classical literature is largely devoid of the living dead.” Truer words were never spoken, Mr. Funk.
Source: Entertainment Weekly via io9
Published: Oct 8, 2010 07:00 pm