‘Zombieland’ Was Rejected Multiple Times as a TV Pilot Before It Became a Movie
Zombieland is loved by viewers around the world, and it even spawned a sequel. However, did you know that the hit movie was almost a TV show? The Zombieland creators revealed how it went from a TV pilot to the beloved horror comedy.
‘Zombieland’ was a huge box office hit
Zombieland premiered in 2009 and starred Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin. The movie follows the group as they navigate a post-zombie-apocalypse America, looking for a rumored zombie-free sanctuary.
The movie was a hit, debuting at No. 1 at the box office and grossing over $102 million worldwide. The success and popularity of Zombieland meant demand was high for a sequel. Zombieland: Double Tap came out in 2019; Harrelson, Eisenberg, Stone, and Breslin all returned for the follow-up movie.
‘Zombieland’ writers reveal the movie was almost a TV show
Most people couldn’t imagine Zombieland being any different. But the movie’s creators revealed that their original vision for the story was a little different. Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick wrote the screenplay, but they were actually hoping to make it a TV show.
The pair started writing Zombieland in 2005. Reese told Gizmodo the final script is “surprisingly similar” to what they originally wrote. “It underwent multiple development experiences,” he continued — including a turn to television.
“We wrote it as a TV pilot and sold it to CBS, and they had a lot of notes, which we addressed,” Reese explained. “And then when they decided to not make the pilot we unaddressed a lot of them. We went back to what we had, because we liked it more. In most cases. In a few cases we kept what they added because they did have some good notes.”
Wernick added that “the last bit of the movie” was actually what the second episode of the proposed show would have been.
“When we decided to expand into a feature we took what we thought supposed to be episode two and we plugged it in,” Reese said. “And the big change that we made when it became a movie was that Ruben [Fleischer], our director, wanted to set the third act at an amusement park. Originally it was set as a big huge fight at a gas station. But it’s awfully similar strangely.”
‘Zombieland: Double Tap’ was also almost made into a TV show
The interview in question was conducted before the film debuted. At the time, the duo was unsure about a sequel. Reese said it “depends on how the first one does.” Wernick added that they had some “really fun ideas” for a follow-up, and that Harrelson had told them he was open to doing a sequel — something he typically stays away from.
Zombieland‘s success meant Reese and Wernick were able to try out some of those fun ideas in Zombieland: Double Tap. The sequel follows the same group as they travel zombie-ravaged America, looking for more human survivors and killing zombies along the way.
Funnily enough, Zombieland: Double Tap also almost became a TV show. Digital Spy writes that a 2013 pilot with a completely new cast was made, but never ended up on the air. Development for the movie sequel started in 2016.
