Zombieland series

Well, bad news for that Zombieland series that was at Amazon.  After debuting the pilot episode a few weeks back, Amazon has decided not to take it to series.  

Customers were invited to view the pilot and voice their feedback.  That feedback was going to help Amazon determine whether it should move forward with a series.  Those behind the project are welcome to take it elsewhere.  So, what does this mean for pilot director Eli Craig (Tucker and Dale Versus Evil)?  Well, he's got his next film set up.

This week, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the creators of Zombieland, spoke to the press about their latest trip to the land of the dead: A new pilot episode at Amazon.

Zombieland is being made available for free on Amazon Instant Video and LOVEFiLM UK. Customers are invited to view the pilots and then review them on the site; customer feedback will help determine which of the 13 pilots Amazon Studios will make into full-season productions, to air on Prime Instant Video.

After the jump, the writers discuss Zombieland's leap from the big screen to the small...

While it is only one pilot (and only 28 minutes long), having viewed Zombieland, it might be better if Amazon avoids producing its own programming. It is hard to believe that this comes from the movie’s screenwriters, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. It is forced and obvious and strains to be funny, and it fails miserably. You might chuckle once or twice, but it isn’t nearly as amusing or fun as the feature version. 

The opening sets the stage for what’s to come, in that it takes a joke and doesn’t know when to quit. A couple of obnoxious office workers have a mundane conversation about personal electronic devices and Starbucks. As they ramble on and on, the world goes to hell right behind them. People are attacked by zombies and there is carnage aplenty. They of course fail to notice everything until it is too late. It goes on for way too long and the joke is beaten to death, a problem that resurfaces frequently. 

Mid-week, the Internet sort of gave the Zombieland pilot a false start, however, Amazon has officially placed the episode online.  YOU CAN NOW WATCH IT HERE.  According to the site, Zombieland is about "Four survivors are killin' zombies and searching for a home."

You'll also notice that there is a link allowing you to let Amazon know what you thought of Zombieland.  This is your place to sound off.  The folks at Amazon are listening and how this pilot performs will dictate if Zombieland is taken to series.

The Zombieland pilot comes from the feature film's original creative team, writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, and producer Gavin Polone. Eli Craig (Tucker and Dale vs. Evil) directed the pilot.  Check out the trailer inside.

Amazon has revealed a trailer and the pilot episode of Zombieland, the outlet's proposed series based on the hit film from 2009.

You can watch the first episode VIA THIS LINK. (Update: The link works, but you won't be able to view the episode until tomorrow - Thursday, April 18th.)

As we reported a bit ago, Amazon is going to weight its decision on whether or not it will be taken to series based on what the audience reaction is to the pilot.  Obviously, if it's favorable, Zombieland will continue on.

The Zombieland pilot comes from the feature film's original creative team, writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, and producer Gavin Polone. Eli Craig (Tucker and Dale vs. Evil) directed the pilot. The part of Tallahassee will be played by Kirk Ward, Maiara Walsh is cast as Wichita, Tyler Ross will play Columbus, and Izabela Vidovic has the role of Little Rock. 

Amazon Studios has debuted, via The Huffington Post, a teaser poster for the upcoming Zombieland pilot. Check it out inside!

The "Zombieland" pilot comes from the feature film's original creative team, writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, "The Joe Schmo Show"), and producer Gavin Polone ("Gilmore Girls," "Curb Your Enthusiasm"). Eli Craig (Tucker and Dale vs. Evil) is directing the pilot. The part of Tallahassee will be played by Kirk Ward (The Island), Maiara Walsh ("Desperate Housewives," "Switched at Birth") is cast as Wichita, Tyler Ross (Milkshake) will play Columbus, and Izabela Vidovic has the role of Little Rock. 

Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, writers of Zombieland and the upcoming G.I. Joe: Retaliation, confirmed to ComingSoon.net that Zombieland 2 is officially on hold, as if there were any doubts about that.  The duo, however, have an active part in the upcoming Amazon series.  Inside, they talk about the project - which apparently will hit sometime next month (!) - and their involvement.

Eli Craig (Tucker and Dale Versus Evil) directed the pilot.  It was revealed yesterday that Amazon will monitor viewer feedback to determine whether the pilot will go to series.

Amazon issued an official press release today - a, sort of, official announcement that the Zombieland series was being produced.  Yet, here is a detail we did not know until now.  Zombieland's future depends on you, the customer.

The pilot will be made available to customers at some point and Amazon will be monitoring feedback to determine whether to take Zombieland to series.  Read on...

Amazon Studios, the original movie and series production arm of Amazon.com, today announced it will add cult classic Zombieland to the line-up of pilots already in production for Prime Instant Video. Zombieland, which is the seventh comedy pilot added to Amazon’s pilot line-up, will be made available (along with the other six comedy pilots and six children’s pilots) for free on Amazon Instant Video and LOVEFiLM UK. Customers are invited to view the pilots and then review them on the site; customer feedback will help determine which of the 13 pilots Amazon Studios will make into full-season productions, to air on Prime Instant Video.

The leading cast of Amazon's upcoming Zombieland series appears to be fully locked. Deadline reports that Kirk Ward has signed on to play Tallahassee opposite Tyler Ross's Columbus, Izabela Vidovic's Little Rock and Maiara Walsh's Wichita.

The original film, directed by Ruben Fleischer and written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, starred Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin as a group of survivors trying to stay alive in the face of the zombie apocalypse. Ward's role is the one played by Harrelson in the original film.

THR reports Maiara Walsh (Switched at Birth) will play Wichita in Amazon's Zombieland series.  Emma Stone took on the role in the feature film upon which the series is based.

The site describes Wichita as "a natural con-woman and tough girl who with her younger sister Little Rock teams up with Columbus  to survive the zombie apocalypse and search for survivors."

Izabela Vidovic and Tyler Ross were cast earlier as Little Rock and Columbus, respectively.

It was revealed last month that Amazon is making plans to turn Ruben Fleischer's 2009 horror comedy Zombieland into a streaming series and, today, Deadline has learned two of the actors that will be joining the central four-person cast. Tyler Ross (Milkshake) will play Columbus and relative newcomer Izabela Vidovic will play Little Rock.

The original film, written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, starred Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin as a group of survivors trying to stay alive in the face of the zombie apocalypse. Ross and Vidovic's roles are those originally played by Eisenberg and Breslin, respectively.

Zombieland the series became an official thing - and not just the center of the usual rumor mill - earlier this week when it was revealed Amazon was in talks to acquire the property for a web series with 30-minute episodes.

The film's writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are on board to executive produce and, once again, write which is cool because that means the show will retain the witty voice the feature film had.  But now there is a director involved now, too.

Just a few days ago, casting information broke regarding a small screen take on the 2009 horror comedy Zombieland.

Today, Broadcast Now reveals that the series is, indeed, on the way and is being developed by Amazon as an original series. 

Planned for 30-minute episodes, the "television" version of "Zombieland" returns the franchise to its original concept of an ongoing serialized comedy adventure. As revealed in the casting breakdowns, Zombieland will blend familiar characters from the feature film with brand new characters specifically for the series.

It appears Amazon doesn't want to be left out of the "genre series" business.  This maneuver seems like an appropriate counter to what is brewing at Netflix like Hemlock Grove, an original series debuting on April 19th.

If you were bummed about the news that a Zombieland 2 will probably not happen, at least you still have the television series to look forward to.  

A casting sheet has leaked for the proposed CBS series, revealing some of the characters you'll find in the show.

If you recall, Zombieland initially began as a series concept TV until it was reworked into a feature film.  Then, in late 2011, word broke that the title was going to make a transition to the small screen.