This coming fall marks the 10th anniversary of the hit horror-comedy “Zombieland,” a film that instructs everyone how to survive the zombie apocalypse while entertaining you in the funniest ways. The movie opened up with Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) in a post-apocalyptic world, explaining his 33 rules of surviving the undead and narrating the events that led to “mad person disease,” which later becomes “mad zombie disease.”
Along the way, Columbus learns that, while it’s best not to become attached to anyone else who survived the zombie epidemic (you know, in case they die), going it alone is not all it’s cracked up to be. He makes a friend in Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) along with Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin).
Although the popular comedy was well-received by fans, grossing more than $100 million worldwide back in 2009, people were starting to wonder when a sequel would be announced. It felt like a tease when the official Twitter page for the movie shared its own version of the #10YearChallenge on Jan. 29, but it was later revealed that they weren’t teasing. That’s right — “Zombieland” is getting a sequel, and the title is perfect: “Zombieland: Double Tap.”
Production of the upcoming movie started in January, which leaves fans wondering what exactly is in store for Columbus and the rest of the zombie squad. What have they been doing the last 10 years? Here’s everything we know about the upcoming sequel so far.
Evolved undead? Oh, my.
Although details of the plot are being kept under wraps, we know that “Zombieland: Double Tap” takes place a decade after the first film. As the sequel, there’s the possibility that it might be even more hilarious than its predecessor, with even more zombie-killing and horror. The first movie did feature a lot of travel, so chances are there will be another adventure that involves more trekking through the United States.
So, what exactly have the zombie-fighters been up to since they fought off a swarm of the undead at Pacific Playland? Apparently, they’ve been living it up in the White House. While the house is rather big, living together for 10 years can start to become stale, which can lead to drama. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Columbus and Wichita have a spat of sorts, which causes a rift between the two. During their fight, Little Rock runs away with a new character, and this is likely where the story will take place, as the group goes in search of the young zombie fighter.
While the gang ventures out to find Little Rock, they will encounter new, more evolved zombies. There are “Homers,” which are the dumb ones; “Hawkings,” the slightly smarter new breed of undead; and “Ninjas,” a deadly new strain of the formerly deceased. The names are intriguing and lead one to be curious as to how deadly the “Ninja” zombies are, and what kind of other evolved zombies will be mentioned? Hopefully, Columbus and company haven’t been lazy the last 10 years and are prepared to take on the evolved undead.
The Cast
“Zombieland: Double Tap” will reunite the core cast from the first movie, which includes Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus, Woody Harrelson as Tallahassee, Emma Stone as Wichita and Abigail Breslin as Little Rock.
However, the sequel of “Zombieland” is also bringing some new faces to the world infested by the undead. Actress Zoey Deutch joins the cast as Madison, a love interest to Columbus. Also joining is Avan Jogia as “Berkeley, the epitome of the bad boy musician that you would hate for your daughter to fall in love with.” It seems like there’s going to be a lot happening with these newcomers, and perhaps a cat fight will ensue between Wichita and Madison in the most hilarious way possible.
In late January, it was announced that Rosaio Dawson, known to many as Night Nurse from “Daredevil,” will also be joining the cast as Nevada, and Tallahassee might fall for her. I think Dawson is going to add some serious bad—s scenes, which could explain why Harrelson’s character might be enamored with her.
Among the list of newcomers stepping on the zombie express is “Silicon Valley” star Thomas Middleditch, and people are theorizing that he might be portraying Columbus’ brother, which would be a comedic gold mine. Along with Middleditch being announced on Feb. 11, fans learned that Luke Wilson will also be hopping on the undead bandwagon.
In December 2018, it was reported that Bill Murray, along with fellow “Ghostbusters” star Dan Aykroyd, will be playing fictionalized versions of themselves. Wait … wasn’t Murray’s character accidentally murdered in the first movie? This conflict has left fans wondering how exactly he is returning and what role Aykroyd’s character will play.
The movie isn’t even out yet, and there are already plenty of well-known actors getting ready to fight off the undead in “Zombieland: Double Tap.”
Trailer?
Because “Zombieland: Double Tap” just began production in January, there isn’t a trailer yet. Chances are, the team will release a very limited teaser, possibly featuring the new characters, close to October.
Until then, make sure you have Columbus’ 33 rules of surviving Zombieland memorized. “Zombieland: Double Tap” hits theaters Oct. 11.
