I have to admit that I wasn’t holding out much hope for the big-screen adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies — the mashup of Jane Austen and the undead. It felt like a late-comer compared to 2012’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. But the more I learn about the project, the more hopeful I’m becoming.
The first thing that piqued my interest was the casting of former 11th Doctor Matt Smith — not that his movie career has been exactly stellar so far *coughTerminator:Genysiscough* — but of course he has the look and accent for the period drama.
Now, take a look at the first official, full-length trailer for the feature:
Looks pretty interesting, amiright?
Of course, I’m disappointed that this movie is only going to be rated PG-13, but obviously the studio wants as many young girls as possible to attend, so ixnay on the gore and language and nudity. And it’s being called a “horror comedy,” which implies a much lighter tone than, say, THE WALKING DEAD.
So it looks like the marketing plan is going to be zombies + dreamy Mr. Darcy (Sam Riley) + sexy zombie hunters (Lily James, Suki Waterhouse and Bella Heathcote) + romance.
Directed by Burr Steers, (so far known for fluff like 17 Again and Charlie St. Cloud, but also 2002’s well-regarded Igby Goes Down) the film is based on the 2009 satirical novel by Seth Grahame-Smith.
For a slightly less action-packed peek at the movie, here’s the earlier teaser trailer:
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies opens Feb. 5, 2016
