‘Zombieland 2’ gets a 2019 release date; original cast set to return for the sequel
Good news for all 'Zombieland' fans, the post-apocalyptic horror-comedy is coming back after almost a decade. It has been announced that 'Zombieland 2' will be hitting the theatres in 2019 with all four original cast members: Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg and Abigail Breslin. Production is slated to begin in January 2019 with a release date scheduled for October, just in time for the 10th anniversary of the original. Director Ruben Fleischer, who helmed Sony’s first Spider-Man spinoff 'Venom', has plans to reunite the entire cast and crew.
A decade down the line, all four actors have been nominated for Academy Awards. Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick were recently hailed to bring Deadpool franchise to life for Fox. They will also be back to the set that kick-started their career in 2009's 'Zombieland'. Additionally, Gavin Polone is returning as producer.
Columbia President Sanford Panitch said in a statement that they are thrilled to have Fleischer returning to the director’s chair but the increase in budget was not addressed. Featuring A-list stars may likely raise the budget to above $24 million this time, especially after Stone’s Oscar win for 'La La Land', Harrelson’s nomination for 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' and Eisenberg’s nomination for 'The Social Network'.
“These are some of the most in-demand actors and I think they are making this movie because they love these characters,” Panitch said.
The main plot of the movie follows four strangers who meet on the road in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. At first all of them are at each other’s throats but they soon form a close bond and form a group. Harrelson plays the violent cowboy Tallahassee, Eisenberg plays geeky Columbus, with Stone and Breslin playing crafty sisters Wichita and Little Rock. All the characters are named after the locations they are heading to.
When 'Zombieland' first released in 2009, it quickly became a sensation and was an acclaimed hit. The film was also a commercial hit, grossing over $100 million globally off of a $24 million budget, as well as earning over $55 million on home media as of 2015. The movie has also gained a strong following and has been a starting point for all the cast and crew members.
The new movie will focus on comic mayhem again, taking the quartet from the White House to the American heartland as they face off against new kinds of zombies, who have likely evolved since the first movie, and there will be some new human survivors.