10 Awesome (And Useless) Facts About Zombieland
You’ve probably heard the news. A Zombieland sequel is headed to theaters in 2019 and the four lead actors cast is returning to the cast too. Additionally, Ruben Fleischer is back on board to direct from a script by original screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Gavin Polone will return to produce the movie according to THR. Awesome right?
Zombieland follows a geeky college kid making his way through the zombie apocalypse, meeting three strangers along the way and together taking an extended road trip across the Southwestern United States in an attempt to find a sanctuary free from zombies. The film premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 25, 2009 and was theatrically released on October 2, 2009.
The movie was a critical and commercial success, grossing more than $60.8 million in 17 days and surpassing the 2004 film Dawn of the Dead as the top-grossing zombie film in the United States until World War Z in 2013.
So, while we wait for the production of Zombieland 2 to begin and the eventual movie premiere in 2019, let’s look back at some of the most awesome facts about the cult classic.
Woody Harrelson was arrested for marijuana possession during filming, which delayed shooting for a day.
The script, originally a television pilot, was heavily revised to become a feature film.
Patrick Swayze was offered a cameo role as a zombie before his cancer diagnosis. His scene would have parodied other Swayze movies like Ghost (1990) and Dirty Dancing (1987). Zombie cameo roles were also offered to Joe Pesci, Mark Hamill, Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Matthew McConaughey.
The puppy that Woody Harrelson is seen playing with in a flashback belongs to Abigail Breslin.
In Bill Murray’s mansion, Woody Harrelson’s character mentions that he is a big fan of all his movies. Harrelson starred in Kingpin (1996) with Murray.
Twinkies really are called “Submarinos” in Mexico.
Jesse Eisenberg’s character is afraid of clowns. In real life, Eisenberg’s mother worked as a party clown.
Both Abigail Breslin and Emma Stone have played a character named Olive, Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine (2006) and Stone in Easy A (2010).
The wine that Columbus and Wichita drink is a 1997 Beaulieu Vineyard BV Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet. The bottle price ranges from $125 – $150 USD.
Three of the four main characters are named after state capitals: Tallahassee (Florida), Columbus (Ohio), Little Rock (Arkansas). Wichita is named after the most populous city in Kansas.
