Zombieland is no more... and this dude has the gall to act surprised?!

I loved Zombieland. It was a fantastic movie with characters that were fun to watch. Ever since its release, we the fans have been clamoring for a sequel, for more content, for more Zombieland. It seems the creators heard us, but didn't quite understand what we meant...

You see, they made a pilot for a TV show. Which would be fine if it were as well made, acted, scripted and cast as the movie. I'd happily watch episodes with those characters roaming around Zombieland, looking for adventure and having what is essentially a more fun version of The Walking Dead. The problem is that they didn't consider what made their movie so great; The actors involved. It may sound petty, but those actors created those characters and made them what they are. I cannot imagine anyone but Jesse Eisenberg playing awkward hero and writer of the rules of Zombieland, Columbus. Woody Harrelson IS Tallahassee. No one could replace Emma Stone or Abigail Breslin as Wichita and Little Rock. It'd be like seeing someone besides Harrison Ford playing Indiana Jones.

All this I could have told them a mile off, but it seems no one wants to learn from history either. The phenomenon of making a TV series (or more accurately trying to make a TV series) out of a popular film hasn't worked all that often. One trip to Wikipedia turns up Ferris Bueller (1 season, 13 episodes), My Big Fat Greek Life (1 season, 7 episodes), Blade: The Series (1 season , 12 episodes) and 10 Things I Hate About You (1 season, 20 episodes). Every single one of those changed the concept, actors or set up of the film that made them big in the first place and turned it into a crappier, weekly version of what we enjoyed for an hour and a half.

All this is the lead up to this article...

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/17/amazon-passes-on-zombieland-tv-series

Which contains a charming tweet by Zombieland co-creator, Rhett Reese, expressing his deep confusion as to why hardcore Zombieland fans didn't like his new TV show, claiming they, "Hated it out of existence." Really Rhett? You took 100% of what I enjoyed from the movie (namely, the four lead actors) and removed them from the story, gave them to four relatively unknown actors and expected... what? That it wouldn't effect our perception of the franchise? That we'd just accept it with open arms? That history wouldn't repeat itself when you take a movie, try to serialize it and you receive less than a warm reception?

I know Zombieland was intended to be a TV series from the jump, but the movie and specifically the actors involved (their chemistry, timing, comedic influences, etc.) made it into a new animal. Rhett Reese's refusal to accept that and see that the characters he helped create are nothing without the people who played them has led to what could be the death of the franchise. I am sad for that. It is truly a bummer.

Rule #7, travel light... including your emotional baggage.

I thought it was just a poor mans version of Shaun of the Dead.

I'm right with you. The main reason I loved the movie so much was for the four main characters. Going any route that involved replacing their actors sounded like a terrible idea to me. At this point I'll be surprised if there is ever a movie sequel. Oh well, at least there will always be the first movie.

Meh, that film was alright with a couple of great moments. I'm actually surprised they even got as far as making a pilot.

A few points:

1. The movie was only watchable because of the Bill Murray cameo.

2. I doubt that anybody could get the funding for big name actors (or Woody Harrelson) for a Zombieland T.V. pilot on Amazon Prime.

3. Sweet jumping Christ, Rheet Reese; you could cast Nick Cage as the lead, throw in appearances by Louis C.K. and Bruce Lee, and have Joel Robinson do a running voice-over, and that pilot still would have been awful. (But still better than Hemlock Grove.)

No Emma Stone = no sale!

M*A*S*H.

Almost completely different cast but it still managed to go strong for 11 seasons. Preferred the movie myself, but I'm just posting this as an example that all is not lost and that a Zombieland show can still have a chance at being good.

Assuming that it airs on HBO or AMC. Otherwise, you're fucked.

Finally, the real fucking reason right there.

Zombieland was a good movie (except for having Jesse Eisenberg in it) but there is no way in hell that could have ever been turned into a TV show. It's just not interesting enough. An hour and a half? Okay. 10 to 13 one hour long episodes a season? No way.

If they made a Zombieland 2 movie that would be cool, but not a TV show.

I liked Zombieland, but none of the acting performances were that memorable; except Bill Murray, of course, and, to a certain extent, Woody Harrelson. But Eisenberg, freaking Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin "irreplacable"? That's really stretching it.

I think it's funny that the creator thought it'd be a good idea to replace the original actors with new people that don't look at all like the originals. And regardless, that show seems painfully unfunny. He should have focused on a sequel film instead.

Very true. Also, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Zombieland doesn't sounds like a TV series that I'd care to watch. Their style of comedy and such works within an hour and a half. However, this sounds like it was little more than a way to capitalize on the popularity of The Walking Dead and zombies in general.

As for "needing the original actors," take a look at The Walking Dead. Look at who was in the first season and who is left now...and if you've read the comics, you know other characters that are going to bite it. You can make a show remain successful but rotate the cast out and/or kill off main characters. Hell, if you know the comics well, you already know someone who will bite it that seems completely invincible. I'd spoil it, but people can look it up for themselves.

I'm just saying - Zombieland as TV just sounds like a bad idea all around.

Those actors are probably a little bit too expensive for the budget of the show that was planned. Also movie actors seldom star in tv series unless their movie career is crashing or they reach a certain age where they arent a hot commodity anymore in movies.

Though would love to know what Kevin Spacey´s salary is in house of cards tv series.

this... I didn't know there were hardcore fans... and the performances were barely memorable, Talahase is a slightly loud guy who likes twinkies and Emma stone is... some girl who somehow manages to survive and yet still put on shit tons of makeup and is weirdly emotional(bs concept). The little girl isn't even a character... I will say I thought Jesse was more memorable, a controlled guy who tries really hard to fit things into routine, its a little more acceptable though he is obviously not in good shape(which makes it less believable that he is a survivor).

I like the characters a lot in that movie too but I think it could still work with different people if it's a quality show. From all accounts it was pretty terrible, I'm not surprised it's been scrapped.

It sounds like you actually think Eisenberg and gang were interested in this series. The creator didn't replace them, because he never had them.

The movie was okay. Kinda thought it's an okay comedy with a twist that has been done better before (SotD).

Shaun of the Dead is ok but not nearly as good as Zombieland as it's mostly dumbed down slapstick comedy.

Opinions!

Zombieland had fans!?

The actors were the least of that pilot's troubles.

I really don't get this comparison. Not only are they fairly different in structure and plot, but they don't even go for the same flavor of humor. That they are both comedies about zombies isn't really much of a reason to constantly compare the two. They were fairly different films.

I do enjoy how this thread just immediately became "I don't like the thing mentioned, so I'm going to go in and say that in the thread discussing the thing."

The Walking Dead still has a core cast of characters, and has a much larger cast in general. It's also just structured completely differently. Zombieland was very character heavy. In fact, it's pretty much all there was to it. It was all about those people and what they went through.

Again, I think this is a poor thing to compare Zombieland to.

I do however agree that I don't really see Zombieland as a TV series. I'd have prefered a sequel to the movie instead, with the original cast and characters of course.

Two examples off that list that, I'll agree, were successful. The painful truth is that TV shows made out of movies are, statistically, not winners. The few that have been are the odd ones out... at least for live action ones. I did like the Beetlejuice cartoon. And it's not on HBO or AMC; It's on Amazon... or would have been if they hadn't passed on it.

Not for a series, no, but Harrelson did express enthusiasm for a sequel at one point. This was before he was in Hunger Games and probably got tied up doing that though.

1. I disagree, I liked the other characters too and the Bill Murray thing was just the icing on the cake. The writing, the list of rules, Eisenberg's awkward geekyness, Emma Stone's out of his league hotness, etc...

2. Agreed, but, see above. The fans never wanted a series; that was the creators' fixation. I wanted Zombieland 2: Electric Bogaloo.

3. Never seen Hemlock Grove. :P

Truth right there

i'm with you.zombieland was an amazing movie because of the actor's and well scripted lines.now it just seems like a pathetic excuse of a remake,but in a series

that tv show trailer was painful... PAINFUL to watch. Movie was good though. I think when you try to make a zombie show to go against the plethora of other zombie shit that is clogging the creativity drain at the moment and can't even get a big name actor to be in it you're destined to fail. The only thing that makes me sad is that I want all these streaming only shows to do well so we'll see more of them. Some of the shows that Netflix is putting (Lillehammer) are great!

meh, I'd rather have Woody Harrelson than horsejaw ;b

Haha, so with you. Never got what people saw in her.

I think they could've done the show with different characters just fine, but because they switched out the actors to play the same characters on a continuation of where the movie left off is where they flubbed. The episode had some decent writing, but I couldn't help but think it would be better with either different characters or the original actors.

Ah well, I'm hoping that Onion News Empire gets greenlit.

Did someone say...

Never watched the an episode, but I liked the movie.

They got a full season out of it, though, didn't they? I just it get added to Amazon Prime.

Sean Patrick Flanery was a better Indiana Jones anyway

@firecracker22: No, they got a pilot. Just the pilot. So one episode, no full season.

Yeah, what can people see in a beautiful, talented and funny girl? Those idiots!

I know I don't like her because she sounds like a 50 year-old-pack-a-day-smoker. I generally just don't like her attitude in most movies and can only imagine she is like that in real life.

His mistake was not recasting them, because I highly doubt any show could afford to hire Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, and Woody Harrelson for every episode, his mistake was using the same characters from the movie. Like you said, those characters really couldn't be played by different actors. I'm okay with trying to make it into a tv show, that was the original concept after all, they just went about it all wrong. I just hope that this show doesn't kill any hope for a Zombieland 2.

Not to say the pilot was bad or anything, I only saw the first couple minutes and I thought it was okay. In fact I kind of wish it had been picked up if only because I think its exciting that all of these sites are getting into the business of original programming and I want to support that.

You're kind of expecting too much. You can't really get four high profile actors to stop acting in their big movies and settle for a much smaller show.

He is right though. Fans of the movie did "hate it out of existence." He created those characters and he has the right to use them however he wants. What made the movie work was the characters and, yes, the actors who played them. To abandon those characters would have essentially cut all ties from the movie and essentially just made a random new zombie TV show. The characters needed to be in the show for it to be worth existing. There is also no way that they could have gotten any of those actors to be regulars on the show for the budget they were probably working with, let alone all of them. The characters had to be recast. So instead of embracing these new actors and giving the show a chance to grow, "fans" vehemently rebelled and now the franchise is most likely dead.

So "fans" of Zombieland. Stick it your DVD or Blu-ray player and watch it over and over again because that is all the Zombieland you will ever get.