Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was one of the first literary mash-ups, and probably the only one that successfully accomplished what it set out to do: namely, put monsters into otherwise non-monstrous literary classics. It was only a matter of time before the book was adapted into a film, and I’m actually surprised that it took this long. But now the Jane Austen/zombie narrative is getting its own movie, and has added a few Game of Thrones stars to the cast.
Charles Dance and Lena Headey, who play members of the oft-despised Lannisters on Game of Thrones, have joined Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. They are welcome additions to a cast that already includes Doctor Who star Matt Smith as Mr. Collins, Jack Huston as Mr. Wickham, and Lily James as Elizabeth Bennett. It’s not yet clear what parts Dance and Headey will be taking on, though I’ll make a guess and say that Dance would be perfect in the part of Mr. Bennett.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies will follow the bizarre plot of the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith, which took Jane Austen’s beloved comedy of manners and social classes and added a zombie outbreak. The director is Burr Steers, who has a limited filmography to date (his most recognizable credit is Charlie St. Cloud, which somehow does not fill me with optimism). In any case, we can hope that the film will be more successful than that other adaptation of Grahame-Smith’s work: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, a movie that managed to make a poor novel even worse.
As Pride and Prejudice and Zombies goes into production, we can expect to hear more about casting news any time now. We will of course keep you updated on that front. Until then, check out the book and see what our cinemas are in for.
