Deadline are reporting that Craig Gillespie is soon to begin negotiations to direct the film adaptation of the New York Times bestseller, Pride And Prejudice And Zombies, written by Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen. (Obviously not in tandem with each other, with the latter’s original novel being published almost two centuries ago. I just like that she’s credited as an author on the front cover.)
I have to admit that I’m yet to read the novel, but its additions of zombies to the original plot is certainly intriguing, and Grahame-Smith seems to have created a market for himself where virtually none existed beforehand, which is always nice to see.
The Lionsgate adaptation of the novel has had some slight trouble over the past year and a half since it was first announced. Natalie Portman was first reported to be taking the lead role, but has since decided to stay on only as a producer. David O. Russell was then tipped to direct, but had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. As such, Mike White was hired to direct, but he too had to leave because of scheduling conflicts. And so now it looks like the job will finally go to Craig Gillespie.
Gillespie made his feature debut with Lars And The Real Girl back in 2007. Though the film did not do well enough at the box office to make back its initial investment (falling shy by about 0,000), it did earn itself an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and it put Gillespie on the radar. His latest movie, Fright Night, is currently in post-production, and is set to be released here in the UK on 2nd September. We posted the first few stills from the movie a few days ago, and they look pretty interesting. I’m a big Anton Yelchin fan, so I can’t wait to see how that film turns out.
Having been entrusted by DreamWorks with the Fright Night remake, I think there is every reason to expect he will excel at the helm of Pride And Prejudice And Zombies. With such popularity among readers already, there is certainly the potential for it to be adapted into a very successful film. Grahame-Smith’s other popular novel, Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, is similarly being adapted for the big screen, and is due out in 2012, and will almost certainly only serve to increase the audience for when Pride And Prejudice And Zombies makes it into our cinemas.
