'Zombieland 2' Lurches Back to Life

It's five years old and most of its cast seems like a virtual lock not to return for a sequel, but Zombieland looks like it's still finally getting a follow-up installment, courtesy of screenwriter Dave Callaham and original director Ruben Fleischer.
Sony contemplated the notion of a Zombieland 2 in the days after the original broke the $100 million barrier, but that never amounted to much, and for years, it's seemed like Zombieland would go down as the odd hit that wasn't counted on to spawn a franchise. Now, however, the studio appears to be getting serious about a sequel, hiring Callaham to write the script and attaching Fleischer to return.
Deadline notes that most of Zombieland's cast -- a group that included Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin, plus Bill Murray in a memorable cameo -- has gone on to decidedly bigger things in the years since they last co-starred, and in the interest of a manageable budget, it appears unlikely that the studio will be able to round that gang back up again. Still, someone somewhere must have an idea that amounts to more than "let's go make some money," and given that the original was far more fun and clever than it had any right to be, perhaps there's some hope for the sequel.
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Jeff is an entertainment writer and editor whose work currently appears at a variety of sites, including Rotten Tomatoes, Paste, American Songwriter, Popdose, Dadnabbit, Diffuser, and Ultimate Classic Rock.