Arizona native Emma Stone to return to big screen for ‘Zombieland 2’
Jul 15, 2018, 4:19 PM | Updated: 5:32 pm
(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
PHOENIX — Arizona native Emma Stone will reportedly return to the big screen for the sequel to the 2009 adventure film “Zombieland,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Stone will join Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg and Abigail Breslin in filming “Zombieland 2.”
The film is expected to begin production in January and will be released in October 2019.
“This is one of those projects that fans have wanted to see happen for a long time — and no one wanted to see it happen more than Emma, Woody, Jesse and Abigail,” Columbia Pictures president Sanford Panitch said in a statement to the publication.
“These are some of the most in-demand actors, and I think they are making this movie because they love these characters.”
“Zombieland,” a film that follows four survivors in a zombie-ridden world as they continue “an ongoing battle against the hungry undead.”
Eisenberg, the film’s main star, makes up a list of survival rules and zombie-killing strategies for the group to abide by as they attempt to reach a rumored safe haven in Los Angeles.
Sony Pictures has brought back Ruben Fleischer, who directed the first film, to also direct the sequel. The original writers, Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese and producer Gavin Polone will also return.
The long-anticipated sequel has been rumored for years — or as The Hollywood Reporter put it, “rumors of the sequel have risen from the dead several times over the years.”
“Zombieland” only grossed $75 million domestically and $102.3 million worldwide, but became a cult classic.
It also added to the variety of feature films that Stone had under her belt at the time, including “Superbad,” “The House Bunny” and “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.”
Stone, who is from Scottsdale, started her acting career as a kid at the Valley Youth Theatre in Phoenix. Since then, she has won an Academy Award, BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award.
She is also the highest-paid actress, according to Forbes.