Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

[MacGuffin]

Natalie Portman to slay zombies
Actress takes on 'Pride & Prejudice' adaptation
Source: Variety

Given Natalie Portman's elegant demeanor, a turn in a period Jane Austen adaptation was inevitable.

Portman will star in and produce "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," a film that is based on the bestselling book written by Seth Grahame-Smith and Austen. Lionsgate will finance and distribute. Quirk Books published the tome.

Though Austen's name is on the book, Grahame-Smith took the liberty of adding bloodthirsty flesh-eating zombies to the mix.

Portman will produce through her handsomecharlie shingle with Annette Savitch, plus Darko Films' Richard Kelly, Sean McKittrick and Ted Hamm.

Described as an expanded version of the Austen classic, the book tells the timeless story of a woman's quest for love and independence amid the outbreak of a deadly virus that turns the undead into vicious killers.

Portman will play feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet, who is distracted from her quest to eradicate the zombie menace by the arrival of the arrogant Mr. Darcy. Darko just released "The Box," "World's Greatest Dad" and "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell."

Portman stars in the Jim Sheridan-directed drama "Brothers" for Relativity Media and Lionsgate. Her handsomecharlie banner recently set up "Booksmart" at Fox and is partnered with Plan B at Paramount on an adaptation of the Leanne Shapton book "Important Artifacts," a potential screen vehicle for Portman and Brad Pitt.

Her shingle just wrapped production on "Hesher."

"Natalie and I are longtime passionate fans of Jane Austen's books and this a fresh, fun and thought-provoking way to approach her work," Savitch said. "The idea of zombies running rampant in 19th Century England may sound odd, but it lends a modern sense of urgency to a well known love story."

[RegularKarate]

Is there a way I can vote Zombies out of my life for the next few years?

C'Mon, Nat-Po, I expect you to have better taste.

[Stefen]

This will be the first movie that fits into both the threads, 'movies assholes dig' and also 'movies too proper for you to dig.'

[modage]

David O. Russell To Write & Direct 'Pride & Prejudice & Zombies'
The Playlist

Color us surprised and very, very excited. Pajiba (where do these guys have their moles?) are reporting that David O. Russell is attached to write and direct the Natalie Portman produced and starring adaptation of "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies."

The news is very intriguing for a number of reasons. Firstly, it will be the first time Russell is helming both a period and horror picture. Secondly, given his um, "reputation", as an asshole a taskmaster on set, it's a bit of a surprise he's being given the reins on what is a pretty important, expensive project, that will also mark his first foray with extensive special effects (his film "Nailed" had its set of massive problems too and still hasn't even seen the light of day; though recent reports suggest an eventual DVD release might be possible). We suppose that Portman and Russell really hit it off, but the director is also known for deviating off script, improvising and just plain making shit up on the fly so it will be interesting to see how that relationship plays out two weeks into production when Russell is screaming for another take for something that he just thought of that morning.

But actually, maybe none of it is surprising at all. By all accounts, the recently wrapped "The Fighter", with Christian Bale and the one guy in Hollywood who seems to get along with Russell, Mark Wahlberg, seems to have gone off without a hitch. But then again, the Christian Bale "Terminator" meltdown and the Lily Tomlin "Huckabees" freakout all came to light much later so who knows. But Russell's reputation might be a thing of the past, he's been attached to a plethora of projects this year — the Southern-Fried comedy, "Grackle" (which does sound like its a thing of the past), the romantic comedy, "Aaron & Sarah," and the comedic, mental breakdown film, "The Silver Linings Playbook" for the Weinstein Company — so people are either over his past problems, or just think his brillance overshadows any potential issues.

For all our surprise, it could just be that given the tight fists that control the money these days in Hollywood, David O. Russell prefers to jump onto a sure-fire studio project, rather than try and shepherd his own script through the system or even independently. As aforementioned, the director was severely burned with "Nailed," his still unfinished indie comedy that is currently caught in a legal and economic quagmire. The production was plagued with money woes, causing shooting to shut down and restart more than a few times. With "The Fighter" a Paramount production, and "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies" certain to easily grab financing, most likely from one of the big studios, Russell may just be enjoying working on projects that allow him to arrive on set and shoot without having to worry about where the cash is coming from.

[Derek]

that's cool.

[Gold Trumpet]

I fear for David O Russell. Had a good run in the 90s and was able to make personal projects both low key and higher, but everything came to a hedge with I Heart Huckabees. It was distinctly his, but so much out there that its idiosyncracies (and his personal ailments) have kept him out of a consistent work schedule ever since. I just fear Huckabees was his Brian Wilson Smile project and instead of getting the acclaim later on, all it got is the grief everyone feared the project would cause because it was too personal and too out there. So far, the effect has been Russell not working and me wondering if he's now scrambling to just stay a professional in Hollywood. I just hope there is still some inspiration within him and these projects have good reasons to be made. Nailed should come out soon and The Fighter next year so I'm hopeful lost ground can be made up quickly, but who knows?

[Stefen]

There's worse filmmakers that could be attached to this. His involvement has me intrigued. He better not fuck with Nat Po's emotions. I'll kill him.

[pete]

I dunno, after two very good films I will look forward to this one.

[RegularKarate]

I dunno, after two very good films I will look forward to this one.

What two films are you going to watch before you see this one, Pete?

[john]

I reckon he'll bring on his Huckabees co-writer.

Post Huckabees, that dude was writing a zombie script he seemed pretty enthused about... so it would be nice to see them working together again.

[Stefen]

I always see this and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters at the book store. They look terrible. Has anyone read either of them?

[MacGuffin]

Has anyone read either of them?

I've read this one, and it was pretty funny.

[Pozer]

looks to be far more worthy than sans zombies version.

[Stefen]

Werd. Keira Knightley can have her proper English flicks. Nat Po pwns her face by adding zombies.

[MacGuffin]

'Pride And Prejudice And Zombies' Author Seth-Grahame Smith 'Peripherally Involved' In Adaptation
Source: MTV

While Seth Grahame-Smith is busy adapting his latest book, "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" into a feature film script for producers Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov, Natalie Portman and David O. Russell are off prepping an adaptation of the author's first book, "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies." Jane Austen's classic received a supernatural twist when Grahame-Smith carefully inserted a zombie post-apocalypse setting into the snapshot of early 19th century English society as seen through the eyes of Elizabeth Bennet.

The news broke late last year than the adaptation was coming, with Portman set to produce and star. A rumor emerged shortly thereafter that Russell had come aboard to write and direct, a fact Grahame-Smith later confirmed. When I spoke to him last week, the "Zombies" author told me that he's not very involved with the planning process for this one, and he's perfectly happy with that.

"On 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' David O. Russell is writing the adaptation and directing," he said. "Natalie Portman is producing and starring as Elizabeth Bennett. They have a really incredible team together on that movie. I'm sort of peripherally involved, I talk to everybody once in awhile. But I'm really just happy to let them do their thing. For my money, David O. Russell and Natalie Portman working together... you can't really do a whole lot better than that."

When the news of this adaptation first broke, I expressed some skepticism. Since the book is already a sort of adaptation, I worry that translating it into a feature film runs the risk of losing the novelty. So much of what makes the book work lies in the way Grahame-Smith seamlessly integrates the zombie elements into Austen's writing. Reading it, it feels as though Austen herself put the zombies in there.

The danger with a film adaptation is losing that and essentially becoming just a period zombie flick. I think the real appeal of this particular mash-up lives and dies with the book, since the genius of it lies in the way Grahame-Smith weaves his own material in with Austen's. That said, Russell is one of the better bets to get the translation right. It's certainly going to be a challenge, though I look forward to seeing how he pulls it off.

After all, this is the guy who brought "Three Kings" into the world. He took an unlikely ensemble (especially for the time) and told one of the most compelling Persian Gulf War stories yet committed to film.