Update: Deadline reports that Emma Stone has unsurprisingly turned down the role of “Pride And Prejudice And Zombies.” Watch for Deadline’s shortlist story coming in 3…2…1…
Considering the amazing career boost she received from 2009’s “Zombieland,” Emma Stone may want to jump on the chance to fight the walking dead again. Variety has reported that Stone has been offered the lead role in the film adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.” The film is based on the tongue-in-cheek book by Seth Grahame-Smith, a re-telling of Jane Austen‘s “Pride and Prejudice” which pits Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy against the brain-devouring monsters. For an idea of the film’s tone, think “Shaun of the Dead” set in Victorian England. The film will be directed by Craig Gillespie (“Lars and the Real Girl,” “Fright Night“) and will be released by Lionsgate.
If she accepts, Stone will be coming aboard a production with a long and arduous history behind it. Gillespie was brought on after David O. Russell (“The Fighter“) was set to write the script and direct with Natalie Portman as the star. Once that all fell through, a series of other stars and directors were approached but Gillespie eventually wound up behind the camera with veteran TV writer Marti Noxon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer“) doing a re-write. Gillespie, whose film “Fright Night” will hit theaters this summer, may be just the man to capture the humor and absurdity of the source material.
Stone is a good, if not totally obvious choice but something tells us the very hot actress may not want to return so soon to another ass-kicking zombie flick. As much as we like Stone, we’d prefer someone a little more “out of the box,” who hasn’t really done this kind of part before to shake things up.
Stone can be seen this summer in “Crazy, Stupid, Love” playing the love interest of Ryan Gosling, in the adaptation of the bestselling novel “The Help” and she’ll also pop up in Will Gluck‘s “Friends With Benefits.” And next year, we’ll see her as Gwen Stacy in the comic book reboot “The Amazing Spider-Man” with Andrew Garfield.