Zombieland: What Happened to this classic zom-com?

Having experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has had a small taste of navigating a widespread outbreak of disease, seclusion, and an alarming decrease in the availability of toilet paper. When compared to the conditions of a zombie apocalypse, similarities surface, exposing the disturbing flaws of human nature and, on a more positive note, our inclination to establish a found family and form connections in unlikely places. Our desire to survive while also maintaining what’s left of our humanity becomes paramount to salvaging our sanity while increasing the possibility of finding solace in a world gone to shit.

Here’s the thing, though. To survive, you’ve got to follow the rules. Without order, chaos reigns. Without precaution, you’re likely to end up as a screaming pile of zombie chow instead of living in a fortified lap of luxury, sleeping atop a bed of Twinkies. Ruben Fleischer, the director of 2009’s Zombieland, knows the value of a good plan and better backup. But what happens when a plan goes sideways, and you find yourself scrambling to ensure the quality and staying power of well-worn cinematic territory? It’s time to nut up or shut up and find out what the fuck happened to Zombieland.

Ruben Fleischer, the filmmaker, producer, and music video director known for helming such films as 2013’s Gangster Squad, a crime drama starring Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, and Giovanni Ribisi, Sony’s first Venom movie, and the head-scratching adaptation of Uncharted starring Tom Holland as Nathan Drake, sat behind the camera for Zombieland. The zombie-infested survivalist comedy would be Fleischer’s feature directorial debut after shooting music videos for artists like Dizzee Rascal, Electric Six, and M.I.A.

The first signs of infection began in 2005 when Deadpool & Wolverine and Twisted Metal writing duo Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick wrote a Zombieland spec script, intending to turn it into a television series. Because ideas for Zombieland had been shuffling around in their brain meats for years, the project became increasingly ambitious with each idea added to the pile. After Fleischer read the teleplay, he partnered with Reese and Wernick to convert the project into a screenplay for a feature-length film. The trio concentrated on the project’s road trip aspects to transform the Zombieland concept for the silver screen. The plan involved giving the zombie hunter party a final destination, the Pacific Playland theme park.

Unlike other zombie epics like George A. Romero’s Living Dead series, Sony’s Resident Evil franchise, or Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror, Zombieland is relatively small in scale. The story seldom takes a global look at the crisis outside the general setup and focuses on four unlikely travel partners, each trying to make sense of a world infested with brain-eating undead. Each named for the city they hail from, Zombieland stars Jessie Eisenberg as the squirrely, rule-abiding Columbus, Woody Harrelson as the rough and tumble, Twinkie-loving Tallahassee, Emma Stone as the deceptive and dangerous Wichita, and Abigail Breslin as Little Rock, Wichita’s younger and equally duplicitous sister.

While Columbus and Tallahassee’s goal is to survive the ordeal and possibly discover a treasure trove of Hostess Twinkies along the way, Wichita and Little Rock’s journey leads them toward Pacific Playland, a haven Wichita tells Little Rock is zombie-free. As the audience, we know Wichita is lying, but who would be cruel enough to rob Little Rock of hope and possibly the last shreds of her childhood innocence? After joining forces, the quartet plots a course for the amusement park. The journey breeds instances of mistrust and deception. Still, the group eventually learns to depend on one another for protection, companionship, and sanity.

Much like the page-turner The Zombie Survival Guide by author Max Brooks, Zombieland proposes a detailed list of precautionary tactics or rules to abide by while navigating a zombie apocalypse. In the film, Columbus mentions a total of 33 rules to prevent yourself from becoming a zombie mukbang, including warnings like travel light, always wear your seatbelt, no attachments, beware of bathrooms, sunscreen is your friend, never forget to pack an extra pair of underwear, and always double-tap your kills. In a world of ravenous undead, be a Sidney Prescott. Never assume; don’t be afraid to spare an extra bullet to the head to ensure they’re toast.

While 33 precautionary measures provide a solid foundation for maneuvering within a zombie infestation, the number of things that can and will go wrong is innumerable. That’s why, as a part of the film’s promotion, Jessie Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson appeared in a series of videos featuring more rules to add to a never-ending list of apocalyptical dos and don’ts. The educational adverts feature Jessie Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson, who are fielding questions from curious parties and expanding on safety measures that could decide the difference between seeing the light of another day or your organs becoming an in-demand item at a zombie buffet.

Through the magic of awkward comedic exchange, Eisenberg and Harrelson demonstrate the efficiency of smashing a zombie in the kisser with a cast iron skillet and the importance of the buddy system. Traveling alone could grant you speed and maneuverability, but all that bobbing and weaving won’t matter if you don’t have someone watching your back. Think about it: How many times have you seen a zombie victim become a chew toy after being bitten at the nape of their neck? I rest my case.

While Eisenberg, Harrelson, Stone, and Breslin are the primary players of Zombieland‘s limited cast, Aquaman and The Rum Diary star Amber Heard appears in the film as 406, a woman trying desperately to escape the zombie onslaught by seeking shelter in Columbus’s apartment and the legendary Bill Murray, whose house and hospitality offer the central characters respite from the ongoing madness.

Heard’s character appears at the film’s start, though her screen time is brief. 406, aptly named for her apartment number in the building where she and Columbus live, quickly becomes an unfortunate victim of the zombie virus. After she turns, Columbus must fight for survival in his cramped apartment, using everything from chairs to toilet covers to defend himself. Heard’s intense sequence and her contorted body movements suggest she did her homework while preparing for the part. Her contribution to the film is short but sweet and helps kick the movie into high gear from the jump.

Hilariously, Bill Murray plays himself in the film. He’s used makeup to look like one of the undead, though the tactic only works for so long. Harrelson’s Tallahassee, a diehard fan of the Ghostbusters and Scrooged actor, amplifies Murray’s part in the film by fawning over Punxsutawney Phil’s mortal enemy with relentless shock and awe. The instantaneous friendship leads to a montage of fun callbacks to some of Murray’s best roles, including reenacting the actor’s ghost-busting antics.

Before Murray joined the cast, Road House and Point Break badass Patrick Swayze nearly filled the guest role. The original concept features a dance number and potter’s wheel sequence as an ode to Dirty Dancing and Ghost. Sadly, Swayze’s battle with pancreatic cancer limited his ability to participate. Other actors considered for the part were Sylvester Stallone, Joe Pesci, Mark Hamill, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Matthew McConaughey, Dwayne Johnson, and Kevin Bacon, who, in 2022, experienced his own home invasion when Marvel characters Drax and Mantis kidnapped him in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. According to a Vanity Fair interview, we have Harrelson to thank for Murray’s contribution to Zombieland, as the Natural Born Killers actor phoned Murray as a Hail Mary tactic, giving new meaning to the phrase, “Who you gonna call?”

Ruben Fleischer shot Zombieland over 41 days in Hollywood, California, Atlanta, Hapeville, Powder Springs, Georgia, and more. A portion of scenes for the finale at Pacific Playland took place at Wild Adventures Water and Theme Park and the Netherworld Haunted House in Georgia. Special effects makeup designer Tony Gardner, who helped Troy Baker design the undead for Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” joined the production to ensure the zombies looked menacing, rotted, and dripping with gore. Fleischer’s only instruction for Gardner was to let loose and bring his most extreme ideas to the film. Gardner relished the assignment, blending comedy with horror for an impactful look and goopy feel.

Zombieland shambled its way to over $102 million worldwide, handily becoming the second-highest-grossing zombie movie behind Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead remake. Zombieland enjoyed a brief moment as the highest-grossing zombie film ever before movies like Resident Evil: Afterlife and World War Z took a bite out of its position on the charts. Zombieland was also a critical success, with reviewers getting a kick out of the film’s witty dialogue, gross-out action, and enduring sense of humor. I’m happy to report that Zombieland holds up, with my recent watch of the film as good as the first.

A sequel to Zombieland,titled Zombieland: Double Tap, was released in 2019 with Fleischer behind the camera. Eisenberg, Harrelson, Stone, and Breslin returned to reprise their roles, with Zoey Deutch, Avan Jogia, Rosio Dawson, Luke Wilson, and Thomas Middleditch joining the cast. Double Tap earned $125.2 million worldwide, leading Fleischer to tease a spinoff film focusing on Zoey Deutch’s Madison. Granted, that was in 2019, so I wouldn’t get your hopes up.

Frustratingly, Fleischer shot a pilot for a Zombieland television series, with Amazon Studios interested in hosting the project. However, the project died after surprisingly adverse reactions to the pilot. During the project’s post-mortem, Fleischer expressed shock and disappointment at the crowd’s response to the show’s introductory episode on Twitter, saying he did not understand the vehement hate from diehard Zombieland fans. According to audiences and critics, making the show about the characters from the film was a mistake, especially since Fleischer recast every primary character. Prestige TV hadn’t come full circle yet, so getting Eisenberg and his zombie-killing co-stars to reprise their roles was more unlikely than Talahasse’s odds of finding Twinkies in the wild. “You guys successfully hated it out of existence, Fleischer lamented at the loss of the series.

Zombie movies are a dime a dozen, yet something special about Zombieland remains. While an apocalypse rarely inspires smiles, Fleischer’s film keeps a steady pace while having fun despite the world-ending scenario. The cast chemistry is infectious, and a laid-back approach to creative kills and stakes helps maintain a comfortable fear factor for most audiences. There are plenty of zombie movies that leave you feeling vulnerable and contemplative. However, if you’re hungry for a smart, engaging, and playfully violent road trip movie with hordes of the undead, Zombieland wants you to ride shotgun.

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