Zombie football movie Play Dead might be a better idea than it sounds

Alright, I’m just about to file zombies right next to vampires in my “things pop culture is overdosing on list” and here’s one more project to heap onto the fire. It’s called PLAY DEAD, and based on a novel focusing on zombie football players.

I’m tempted to write it off as pure idiocy, but there’s something about that image above that reminds me of Mutant League Football for the Sega Genesis, and that gets me thinking what that might look like in film form.

Here’s a recap of the plot of the Ryan Brown novel that’s going to be adapted for the screen by Joe Schreiber:

Two cultural obsessions collide head-on in this fast-paced, thrilling, and terribly funny debut by former actor Ryan Brown. In the sleepy town of Killington, Tex., the local high school’s football team is having its best season in decades thanks to the efforts of quarterback Cole Logan.

Afraid of losing the district championship, the rival Elmwood team sends the Killington bus into a river, drowning everyone on the team except Cole and the coach. Only local witch and football fan Black Mona can raise the players from the dead in time for the game, but if they keep stopping to eat people, they might miss it. Brown handily mixes elements of horror, coming-of-age sweetness, and gore-soaked comedy into a tale that satisfies the same fascination with sports and bloodlust that it cleverly and thoughtfully critiques.

OK, you have to admit, that’s stupid, but in a kind of hilarious way. Zombie comedies (SHAUN OF THE DEAD, ZOMBIELAND) have gone well so far, and to get them playing football? It just might be worth watching.