Pride and Prejudice and Zombies still needs a damn director

One would think a high-concept horror mashup like PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES would be a slam dunk, but the feature film adaptation has continuously suffered headshots and been tossed back in the grave, only to rise again.

The adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s hit parody book initially had David O. Russell (THE FIGHTER) writing and directing, but he departed due to supposed scheduling conflicts, even though he’s since gone on to a half-dozen other different projects.

Seeking a suitable replacement, Lionsgate considered people like Mike Newell, Neil Marshall, and David Slade before settling on Mike White (THE SCHOOL OF ROCK), who then also fled.

Most recently we heard that LARS AND THE REAL GIRL director Craig Gillespie was in the mix (he also did the upcoming remake of FRIGHT NIGHT), but now Heat Vision says that author Grahame-Smith wants to make the movie his own self, and might get the chance along with producing partner and possible co-director David Katzenberg.

The zombified Austen remix from writer Seth Grahame-Smith follows heroine Elizabeth Bennet, who deals with romantic interest Mr. Darcy and her family’s war against hordes of flesh-eating undead. The author also penned ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER (currently being adapted to screen by WANTED director Timur Bekmambetov), and wrote the screenplay for Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s DARK SHADOWS.