Image courtesy of Quirk Books
By Rachael
Via Jezebel, Natalie Portman's production company, handsomecharlie, is planning to adapt Pride and Prejudice and Zombies for the big screen. Portman will play Elizabeth Bennet, which does somehow make sense. Less clear is the justification for the film - Annette Savitch, Portman's co-producer, told Variety, “The idea of zombies running rampant in 19th Century England may sound odd, but it lends a modern sense of urgency to a well known love story.” Hmmm. Aren't vampires a slightly bigger concern these days?
I haven't read the zombie version by Seth Grahame-Smith (and Jane Austen), and frankly rolled my eyes when its cousin, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, went on sale earlier this fall. (According to the WJS, Grahame-Smith is currently at work on “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”.) But it's material that cries out for a film version, and for those of you who have read P&P&Z, what do we think about Natalie as Lizzie, plus the undead? Fantastic? Dreadful?
(Worth noting - When I called Quirk Books, the publisher of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, to get permission to use this image, their press office emphasized that despite all of the buzz, Portman's film adaptation isn't confirmed, and that Quirk still owns the rights. So perhaps, like reports earlier this month about a planned mini-series, the Portman movie will sadly turn out to be only rumors.)