Screen Gems presents a zombie-filled panel at Comic-Con with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Patient Zero. The cast and crew of the classic novel, reimagined to include an undead apocalypse in its background, took to the stage to present the film’s first trailer and field some questions from fans. Patient Zero, an upcoming film that seeks to find the title character as a cure for a pandemic of “the infected” takes another interesting angle on reanimated corpses. Read on for more about the films’ first trailers and for much more from the panel.
Panel Highlights
Panelists include author Seth Grahame-Smith, director Burr Stears, stars Douglas Booth, Jack Huston, Bella Heathcote, Matt Smith, Sam Riley, and Lily James.
James: “Nothing is easy to do in a corset.” She said that her version of Elizabeth Bennet is fierce and physically represents all the frustration she feels in her relationship with Darcy.
Huston said that his character, Mr. Wickham, is a bit of a mystery, but he stays true to Grahame-Smith’s novel.
Heathcote talked about doing a month’s worth of martial arts training independently and fighting alongside her on-screen sisters.
Smith, on explaining that his role in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, called it a “really fun film that you can take your chick to … Zombies are exactly what Pride and Prejudice needed, I think.”
In this society, there’s a bit of paranoia because when zombies bite someone, they don’t necessarily turn immediately.
Lena Headey wasn’t at the panel, but her eye-patched warrior seen in the trailer looks like a fun and campy character for her to play. Who doesn’t love eye patches? And Game of Thrones fans will spot a quick shot of Charles Dance as the elder Mr. Bennet.
Those same fans will also recognize John Bradley and Natalie Dormer, who took the stage for Patient Zero.
Dormer plays a virologist who partners with Smith, who also stars in this film, in order to help find a cure for a rabies-like virus that afflicts humanity.
Footage
The first trailer for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is almost exactly what you expect it to be: a period piece that’s got all the fanciful costuming, high speech, and societal rules alongside a lot of head-bashing, sword-slashing, and undead corpses shambling all over the appropriately maintained estate. While the leading ladies appear to be a bit more comfortable channeling Jane Austen’s original version of the Bennet sisters than they are wielding weapons designed to sever the neck or destroy the brain, the tone of the trailer is an honest one that plays the supernatural straight. If you’re a fan of the novel and can’t wait to see it realized on the big screen, then I’m happy to say that on February 5, 2016 you can have all the drama of an Austen novel with the zombified action of The Walking Dead.
We also get to see the first trailer for Patient Zero, a crazy cut that gives fans very different glimpses of Smith, Bradley, Dormer, and surprise star Stanley Tucci. The core of this action-horror film centers on finding a cure through experimenting on the elusive patient zero, who just so happens to be played by Tucci. There’s an interesting angle here, that perhaps the infected humans are actually a “cure” for the scourge of humanity. Keep an eye out for this one if only to see some of your favorite TV stars in a different capacity.
Audience Q&A
How does your character in this version differ from the original book? James: “She’s really strong, and really badass.” Riley: “They’re not really changing the characters all that markedly, really … It’s Pride and Prejudice with a zombie plague in the background.” Grahame-Smith: “You’re not going to improve Jane Austen – especially not me – so my goal was to take all of her characters and all of her themes and turn them up to 11.”
Grahame-Smith takes no credit for the movie adaptation of his book, having said, “I’m just here as an author.”
During a rehearsal, James accidentally stomped “really hard” on an extra’s head, thinking that it was a dummy.
Grahame-Smith gave a shout-out to the fans, saying that he used to stand outside in lines for hours to get into Hall H because he’s a fan like everyone else. He thanked the fans of his book for their support, which was how such a crazy idea ended up being made into a movie.
Grahame-Smith: “The people who deserve their comeuppance in the movie probably get it, but in different ways.”
The background action of the Napoleonic Wars was replaced by the zombie apocalypse in the movie, but the narrative structure was essentially the same.
Grahame-Smith thanks the fans of Austen’s work for having such a good sense of humor.
On Patient Zero, the “infected” humans here are much closer to the rage-filled antagonists of 28 Days Later than any actual flesh-eating zombies. They’re intelligent, organized, and a superior being to Homo sapiens.
Most of the movie takes place in an underground military compound.
The film’s soundtrack plays a big role and features lots of classic rock.