February is typically a month reserved for fluffy romantic comedies, as studios stake a claim to capitalize on the annual furore over Valentine’s Day. And while we fully expect a string of genre pieces to release during such an opportune window, writer-director Burr Steers will buck tradition with the release of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
Smashing genres together in a similar vein to Edgar Wright’s beloved Shaun of the Dead, the long-in-development feature film is based on the eponymous novel by celebrated Seth Grahame-Smith, which takes Jane Austin’s 1813 original tale of growing up within the landed gentry. Granted, as today’s new TV spot attests, elements of Austin’s seminal work still remain, with Steers’ gleefully violent feature centering around the five Bennet Sisters who, upon coming face to face with the ‘Sorry Stricken’, must batten down the hatches to defend the English countryside.
Yes, the serene rolling hills of Pemberley are under siege, and tangled relationships between different social circles quickly become tertiary concerns in the face of the undead. Leading the charge as Elizabeth is Cinderella breakout Lily James, with the remainder of the stellar cast list being rounded out by Sam Riley, Jack Huston, Bella Heathcote, Douglas Booth, former Doctor Who star Matt Smith, and Game of Thrones pairing Charles Dance and Lena Headey, who are set to swap House Lannister for House Bennet.
After battling through numerous false starts, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is finally ready to shuffle into theaters when Burr Steers pits the mannered against the undead on February 5, 2016.
