In 2009 director Ruben Fleisher made his feature film debut
with the monster-sized hit Zombieland, which combined classic comedic beats
with the zombie genre. The movie starred Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Woody Harrelson (Friends with Benefits), Emma Stone (Easy A), Abigail Breslin (Rango), and an unforgettable cameo from comedy legend Bill Murray (Ghostbusters). In just a few weeks fans will have a chance to witness Fleisher’s follow-up film 30 Minutes or Less, which once again stars Eisenberg, along with Aziz Ansari (Parks and
Recreation), and Danny McBride (Your Highness).
Zombieland fans have been eagerly anticipating a sequel to
the film practically since it was released and while there has been a lot of
talk about the project, there has been no real movement on it. The four lead
actors, as well as the director are all signed on for a sequel but the film’s
writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese, have yet to begin work on the script.
Many thought that Zombieland 2 would be Fleisher’s next film after completing 30 Minutes, but with much of his original cast tied up on other projects, the
director has instead opted to helm Gangster Squad with Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine), Sean Penn (Milk),
and Josh Brolin (Jonah Hex) next.
So the question still remains: When will Zombieland 2 begin production? Today I had the pleasure of speaking with director Ruben Fleisher on the phone while he was in New York promoting 30 Minutes or Less, which opens in theaters August 12th. While we were chatting about his new film, I took the opportunity to ask Fleisher what exactly is the current status of Zombieland 2 and unfortunately for fans of his first film, he did not seem
optimistic that the sequel would be happening anytime soon.
“With Zombieland 2 it seems like as much as everyone would
like to see that happen, it’s not happening anytime soon,” answered Fleisher. “At least not for me because I’m spoken for, for at least the next year. And I
know Emma has Spider-Man commitments and whatnot so I think we all want to (do
it) in theory but as each day passes it seems less and less possible.” I
followed up by asking him if the delay also had to do with the script not being
completed yet. “I think if we had a script that we all loved and we were ready
to go make it, it would have been made,” Fleisher explained.
“I’m actually in pre production now on Gangster Squad and we start shooting in September,” he continued. I finished my conversation withFleisher by asking him to briefly describe his vision as a director forGangster Squad. “For me it is a huge opportunity because it’s not a comedy,” he said. “It’s a period piece. I guess it’s an action movie but it’s a classic
gangster movie up there with The Untouchables, L.A. Confidential, and Chinatown. Its really just one of those iconic movies and I think for me its
hugely exciting to get to work with those actors. To get to make a movie that
is … if you think of like The Godfather, Goodfellas, Scarface, and all those
other movies I mentioned that are gangster films, so for me to get to make one
is a pretty unique and awesome opportunity.”
30 Minutes or Less opens in theaters everywhere on August 12th.
