Undead road trip comedy Zombieland was a shot of pure fun when it burst on to the screen in 2009. But while there have been occasional moans of life from a sequel that has been gestating almost since the first movie arrived, it seems the concept’s home will be on television, since Amazon is now developing Zombieland as a TV show.
Back in 2011, it looked like US broadcast network CBS would be the channel to pick it up, but not much more was heard beyond the release of some casting pages that showed the producers looking to find people to play Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita and Little Rock – as assayed in the film by Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin respectively – with a couple of original additions to boost the ensemble.
Now, though, Broadcast Now (via io9) brings word that Amazon is looking to get the series produced with the intention of showing it on its instant video service, much the same way as Netflix is planning a new series of Arrested Development and the American take on House Of Cards.
It’s all early days right now, but it could be a good fit for the service, even if it means the Zombieland show might not get quite as wide an audience as one of the big broadcast networks. Then again, it wouldn’t have the crushing ratings expectations and would be able to push the envelope in the same way as HBO or Showtime across the pond.
Lest you think the ideas won’t stretch, think again: original writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese first planned the script as a TV show pilot, so this is simply the wheel turning once more. We suspect we’ve got a ways to go before anything solid emerges on either front, but we would certainly be open to a return visit to the zombie-infested world. We’re keeping up with our cardio just in case.