Two Game Of Thrones Stars Join Pride And Prejudice And Zombies
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If you’re going to go around killing zombies, it helps to have already dealt with the undead in a past part of your life. Such is the case with Game of Thrones stars Lena Headey and Charles Dance, both of whom have temporarily said goodbye to the White Walkers of Westeros to sign on for roles in Burr Steers’ upcoming adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
In other big news for the literary horror mash-up, Screen Gems has negotiated a deal for U.S. distribution, which means we may actually see this movie one day. (It’s been in development for ages now.) Screen Gems recently put out Scott Derrickson’s demonic horror Deliver Us from Evil and Sam Miler’s domestic thriller No Good Deed. They’re pretty good at taking low-budget flicks and turning a sizable profit on them. Here’s hoping that’s the case with this one.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, based in part on Jane Austen’s classic novel, takes place in England in the early 19th century, centering on the zombie-bashing exploits of Elizabeth Bennet (Lily James) and her family. (Bella Heathcote plays one of her sisters.) Sam Riley plays Elizabeth’s rival-turned-savior Mr. Darcy, while Doctor Who’s Matt Smith recently signed on to play her would-be suitor Mr. Collins. Other characters include Mr. Bingley (Douglas Booth) and Mr. Whickham (Jack Huston). Love and blood are in the air for everyone.
Unfortunately, we’re not quite sure who Headey and Dance will play. It’s likely that Dance would take on the role of patriarch Mr. Bennet, given his age and noble looks. As for Headey, maybe she’ll play Mrs. Bennet, or even the pompous Lady Catherine. Or, as is the case sometimes, maybe I’m completely wrong and they’ll be other characters entirely.
Check out one of their more recent Game of Thrones scenes between Headey and Dance, featuring one of the most absolutely uncomfortable conversations that a daughter can have with her father. Spoilers abound, so just skip it if you’re not caught up.
Headey’s big screen roles of late have been mostly genre films, as she starred in Dredd, The Purge, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, and, most recently, 300: Rise of an Empire. She has Mora Stephens’ upcoming drama Zipper possibly releasing later this year, and she’s lined up for the lead in the Clive Barker adaptation Jacqueline Ess.
Dance, presumably recognizable to GFR fans from David Fincher’s Alien 3, is quite the prolific actor. He recently starred in the low frills horror Patrick, but upped his game for the Alan Turing biopic The Imitation Game. He’s also got Dracula Untold coming soon, along with Daniel Espinoza’s Soviet-era thriller Child 44, among others.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, also written by Steers, will hit theaters at some point next year, giving you more than enough time to fashion a bite-proof bonnet.
