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Natalie Portman will fight zombies, Victorian social conventions
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Natalie Portman will star in the latest Jane Austen adaptation to come to movie theaters -- you know, the one with zombies.Portman, who's currently starring in "Brothers," will take the lead role in "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," based on the book by Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, who added the flesh-eating undead to Austen's tale of two sisters searching for love and happiness.
Portman will also be a producer of the movie, along with partner Annette Savitch. "Natalie and I are longtime passionate fans of Jane Austen's books and this is a fresh, fun and thought-provoking way to approach her work," Savitch tells 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."
"Donnie Darko" director Richard Kelly, Sean McKittrick and Ted Hamm will also serve as producers. There's no word yet on a director or screenwriter.
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okay anyone find this weird too?
keira knightley is in pride and prejudice (the original)
and now this?
they look alike and in a costume the could be twins
i don't think this is a good idea
Just want to point out that Jane Austen and her characters were not from Victorian era, they were from the Regency era. Jane Austen died twenty years before Victoria became queen.
Keira Knightly wasn't in "the original". The definitive version is the BBC mini-series. Purists didn't much enjoy the remade movie.
I can't believe someone had the bright idea to ruin one of the greatest love stories ever by adding zombies.
I think by original, she meant the actual story without zombies.
But I'm excited. I think Natalie Portman will be miles better than KN at playing Elizabeth, definitely not as petulant and most likely more regal. Definitely will have to be kickass.
Big question is: Who will be Darcy???
I just finished the book and loved it. I'm a huge fan of the literary classic in general and it was fun having the zombies thrown in. It was like reading my favorite book with a little bit of a new twist to make it fresh and interesting. Natalie is perfect for this "new" Elizabeth Bennett. I cannot wait to see this!!
@Nonnie
Purists are missing out then! The book is one of my all-time favorites ... I love the BBC version AND the Keira Knightley version AND Bridget Jones.
I've yet to actually read P&P&Z, but I might check it out for Xmas.
The idea of adding zombies is to get modern-day readers to pick up a Jane Austen novel. Just like Dickens, most people today won't read that sort of stuff (indeed I'm educated and well-read and I find them dull reads, much better to watch in performance). PPZ is getting people reading the original, which is a good thing. I think Portman is a great choice, but I still hope they get someone like Knightley or Kate Winslet to appear in it, too.
This just sounds AWFUL. The original book was fantastic and anything but a dry read. Now Hollywood wants to take this historic piece of literature and add zombies? Great way to bastardize a classic.
It's no different than when writers "update" a classic. It's all about how the material is handled. Zombies are a great metaphor in the the right context. "World War Z" proves that.