one of the best zombie films of all-time. A follow-up was in the cards shortly after the first film released, though it ended up taking some time to make its way to the silver screen, and it was initially drastically different from Zombieland: Double Tap.
The original Zombieland introduced us to Jesse Eisenberg's Columbus trying to navigate the zombie apocalypse with even more rules for Columbus.
Naturally, every movie goes through a process of change during the years they take to develop. Even the first Zombieland had some other ideas, like the iconic Bill Murray cameo. But considering the sequel was in the pipeline for so long, a lot of the jokes and ideas evolved over time, and the film that could have gotten made is not at all like the one that did. Here's what Zombieland: Double Tap originally looked like and why it changed so much.
Zombieland 2's Original Story Ideas
After the success of the first Zombieland, Reese and Wernick had several big projects on their hands, including officially greenlit in July 2018.
The first couple of drafts of the script were drastically different. The story was going to pick up immediately where the first Zombieland ended - at Pacific Playland. However, the movie was delayed so long that the actors had all gotten older, particularly Abigail Breslin's Little Rock, so the concept had to be altered significantly to allow for the aged up characters. Instead, the story in Zombieland: Double Tap picks up with the characters a decade later as they take refuge at the White House, with their familial dynamic well-established.
How Zombieland 2's Script Evolved Over The Years
Considering Zombieland: Double Tap had been in the works for around a decade, the script had seen its fair share of revisions. One major change was the inclusion of Bill Murray, who stole the show in 2009's zombie flick. Early casting rumors for Zombieland 2 hinted that Murray would return for the sequel and Ghostbusters co-stars Murray did return for a brilliant post-credits scene, but the scene dramatically differed from the original plan.
As well as this scene being chopped, many of the jokes had to evolve. A lot of the jokes actually came from the actors themselves, including Tallahassee's Elvis story, which is actually a true story based on Woody Harrelson's life. This clearly influenced a lot of the script that made the screen, whether it was dialogue or character arcs or even jokes.
The doppelgangers, particularly Luke Wilson's Albuquerque and Thomas Middleditch's Flagstaff, also evolved based on the on-set dynamics between the actors. Harrelson and Wilson struck up a more adversarial note for their characters, so Eisenberg and Middleditch went for an approach more like they were long-lost twin brothers.
Why It Took So Long For Zombieland 2 To Happen
The first Zombieland was a huge commercial success and a sequel had been in talks almost immediately after it released, so it's surprising it took as long as it did to actually get made, but as often happens with this kind of success, everyone involved became tied up in other projects that ended up taking priority. Deadpool took six years of the writers' time, and the cast went onto other projects.
Solo: A Star Wars Story. Everyone became busy, and the drafts kept getting polished then shelved then worked on again then back to being put on hold.
The script was finally approved in 2018, while Fleischer was working on third Zombieland is to happen, hopefully the wait won't be quite as long.
