The rumour mill has circled Zombieland 2 ever since the rip-roaring cult comedy was released back in 2009, but its cast has finally committed to returning for an official follow-up.
Original filmmaker Ruben Fleischer, the man behind forthcoming Spider-Man spinoff Venom, will direct again with Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg and Abigail Breslin all down to star. Original scribes Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick - who went on to write the Deadpool films - are also on board.
The comedy-horror followed survivors of a zombie apocalypse who take a road trip in a bid to find a sanctuary. The theme park climax, the zany rules for survival upheld by the characters and one of the greatest cameos in cinema (two words: Bill Murray) all assisted in shrouding Zombieland with cult status.
This sequel will take the central characters from the White House to the American heartland as they face off against new variations of zombies that have evolved since the first movie, as well as some new human survivors.
Talk of a long-gestating sequel seemed more unlikely with every passing year until a logo for the project was unveiled at CinemaCon in 2016.
“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.
“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 will begin in January with its release coinciding with the film's tenth anniversary in October 2019.
