How Did Bill Murray Survive ‘Zombieland’?
A cult-classic movie that has garnered enduring popularity over the past decade, Zombieland remains a buzzworthy film comedy. Featuring a star-studded cast, including Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, and Emma Stone, Zombieland was released in 2009 and went on to become one of the hottest movies of the year.
Not only could fans not get enough of the original plot and hilarious action sequences, but one particular cameo in Zombieland earned praise from viewers as well as critics. Bill Murray not only had a blink-and-you’ll miss it cameo in the original Zombieland, but popped up in the sequel, Zombieland: Double Tap as well—leading many fans to wonder how the iconic cameo came to be in the first place.
What is ‘Zombieland’ about?
Zombieland tells the story of a geeky college student named Columbus, played by Eisenberg, who finds himself living in the midst of the zombie apocalypse, according to IMDb. As he makes his way through the carnage, he meets and befriends three strangers: Tallahassee, an aggressive zombie annihilator, played by Harrelson, and two sisters, Wichita and Little Rock, played by Stone and Abigail Breslin.
The four dissimilar compatriots travel across the United States in an attempt to find a place free of zombies. At one point, the group makes its way to Hollywood, California, where they enter the mansion of one particular fan-favorite movie star—and chaos and hilarity ensues.
Bill Murray’s cameo in ‘Zombieland’ made waves with fans
In Hollywood, Columbus and his friends enter the mansion of Murray, only to come face to face with the star himself. Murray plays himself in the movie, explaining to the group that he has managed to survive the zombie apocalypse so far by pretending to be a zombie himself, even though he’s not actually infected.
However, a short while later, Murray is mistaken for a zombie by Columbus, who shoots and kills him in a shocking, hilarious moment. The group then had a makeshift funeral for Murray, firing into the air four times and throwing his body off the roof of his home and into a dumpster.
Even though Murray’s cameo was a huge pop culture moment for viewers, a different actor was originally set to make the fun cameo. According to Cinema Blend, the role of the Hollywood star pretending to be a zombie in order to make it through the apocalypse was written for Patrick Swayze, in a more action-focused sequence that would have included references to some of Swayze’s iconic movies.
Unfortunately, Swayze wasn’t able to commit to the role when filming started because he had recently been diagnosed with cancer. Although fans love Murray’s appearance in Zombieland, there’s no doubt that Swayze would have made the part his own, had he been able to appear in the flick.
Bill Murray made a surprise re-appearance in the 2019 ‘Zombieland’ sequel
After years of speculation and fan anticipation, Zombieland: Double Tap was released in 2019. The film not only reunited the cast members from the original film but even brings back Murray for another hilarious cameo. Murray’s appearance, according to the Los Angeles Times, takes place during the end credits of the movie, in a flashback to a time pre-zombie apocalypse.
Viewers see Murray himself doing a press junket for a Garfield sequel. After asking Murray to imitate Garfield hacking up a hairball, a journalist starts coughing, an indication that he is beginning his transformation into a zombie. As other journalists and staff start to turn, Murray is left to fend for himself in a brief, albeit hilarious sequence.
Fans loved Murray’s re-appearance – and to this day, with rumors of a third Zombieland film swirling, many are wondering if the elusive actor could make yet another cameo appearance. According to MovieWeb, director Ruben Fleischer has joked that while a third movie is a very real possibility, he would prefer to wait another few years – so “maybe in 2029,” fans could see another addition to the Zombieland universe.
