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Zombieland 2 Is A Go
Zombieland 2 is a movie I don’t want to see, but that I will welcome with open arms. The first Zombieland came out in 2009 and was an extremely fun and entertaining horror-comedy. It helped launch the careers of Jesse Eisenberg and Emma Stone and brought Woody Harrelson even more into the spotlight. It seemed like perfect timing for it to be made, since none of the four of the main actors were huge yet, but they all gave great performances.
The film has since garnered a cult following that has turned into something close to mainstream adoration. So with that, 10 years later, of course a sequel is being made.
A sequel was actually in and out of development by Sony for a number of years. But now reports are saying that it’s definitely happening. Zombieland 2 will be released in the fall of 2019 with all four main actors reprising their roles.
This is an idea that I was hoping wouldn’t happen for a while. I love the first film, largely because it’s a group of ragtag strangers trying to make their way to an amusement park. It’s a great concept for a one-off movie that can be looked back on fondly years later because of who is in it. There’s even a Bill Murray cameo!
I’m pretty skeptical about how well a sequel would work. According to The Hollywood Reporter, “The new movie will once again put the focus on comic mayhem, taking the quartet from the White House to the American heartland as they face off against new kinds of zombies that have evolved since the first movie, as well as some new human survivors.”
This gives me the idea that the studio is thinking just because this kind of movie worked once, if you bring back all the actors, it will work again the second time. But what made the movie work so well the first time around was the story, with the humor in the background. Each of the characters has a clearly defined arc and there is a satisfying ride off into the sunset ending. I just don’t think it would work.
But hey, for all we know, the writers have a killer new place to take these characters that is interesting and makes logical sense, to go along with the violent comedy. I’ll be welcoming it with open arms because the same creative team is returning this time around. It should work out. Let’s hope it does.