Nearly a decade removed from the release of Zombieland, and we should probably start gearing up for a journey back to Pacific Playland.
Although the idea of a sequel to the moderately successful post-apocalyptic comedy has been intermittently convulsing this year, what with co-screenwriter Paul Wernick providing a status update on a possible follow-up, and the other scribe, Rhett Reese, acknowledging an inescapable time jump, we’ve just been handed something a lot more concrete.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Zombieland 2 is officially a go, and better yet, all of our core survivors will be returning to the fray, including Woody Harrelson’s Tallahassee, Jesse Eisenberg’s Columbus, Emma Stone’s Wichita and Abigail Breslin’s Little Rock. Of course, Ruben Fleischer, who helmed the original and is also bringing us Venom this fall, will be back in the director’s chair as well, working off a script from the aforementioned Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese.
“This is one of those projects that fans have wanted to see happen for a long time – and no one wanted to see it happen more than Emma, Woody, Jesse, and Abigail,” said Columbia Pictures president Sanford Panitch in a statement. “These are some of the most in-demand actors and I think they are making this movie because they love these characters. We are thrilled Ruben was willing to come back to direct the sequel, as his work on Venom has been truly amazing.”
Production is set to get underway in January with the sequel targeting an October 2019 release, which is just in time for the 10th anniversary of the original movie. As far as plot details go, there’s not much out there right now, but THR’s scoop teases that the sequel will “once again put the focus on comic mayhem, taking the quartet from the White House to the American heartland as they face off against new kinds of zombies that have evolved since the first movie, as well as some new human survivors.”
So, there you have it, Zombieland 2 is officially official now, after months of speculation and rumors. And while it remains to be seen if this team can capture the same magic we saw up on screen back in 2009, we’re certainly excited to find out. After all, the original is still one of the most enjoyable films of the last few decades and we simply cannot wait to catch back up with Tallahassee and the gang.
