Mike White has just bailed on directing Pride And Prejudice And Zombies, the long-stalled adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel that reimagines Jane Austen’s classic examination of class and its influence on character as a repetitive joke about zombies. The Chuck & Buck and School Of Rock screenwriter stepped up to take over the project after David O. Russell walked out, doing that thing that David O. Russell does, but much like Russell and similarly departed would-be star Natalie Portman, White’s exit involved citing irreconcilable scheduling problems, as he glanced furtively at his watch, gathered his coat, and slipped apologetically out the door, muttering something about how this whole high-pressure tentpole zombie franchise thing had been lovely, but he had to get up really early tomorrow. Lionsgate will now resume its search for a director and star—ideally, we’d assume, for a duo with nothing else going on.
Join the discussion...