Since David O. Russell abandoned Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, there has been a variety of directors vying for the zombie-infused revamp of the iconic Jane Austen romance. You had horror directors like Neil Marshall (The Descent), David Slade (30 Days of Night), and Matt Reeves (Cloverfield), comedy directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) and Mike White (Year of the Dog) and acclaimed auteurs Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral) and Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs) all contending for the coveted director’s chair on the adaptation of the popular Seth Grahame-Smith novel. The cross-section of talent was staggering – and confusing. Exactly what kind of movie is Lionsgate looking to make?
Well, we have more of an idea now that The LA Times has revealed the rumored top contender is (drum roll please)……..Mike White! Wait, seriously? Don’t get me wrong, White’s a consistently interesting performer, and a competent comedy writer, having penned School of Rock and several episodes of Freaks and Geeks. However, he also wrote Nacho Libre and Orange County, and his lone directing effort, Year of the Dog, was flat and odd over comedic and compelling. Yet The LA Times says despite being, “a relatively inexperienced director….White is seen as one of the few candidates who can handle the film’s many tones.”
I hate to be a cynic, but that sounds like code for: Mike White is one of the directors who will accept the pay scale. While there is admittedly no word on what the paycheck attached to the project is, when you imply a writer/director who has directed one comedy that struggled to find a consistent tone, and is generally deemed an art house movie will better serve a hotly anticipated genre-blending project than Newell or Demme, I call shenanigans. They say they need a director who can handle, “comedy, genre and period conventions,” and I fail to see how White’s the obvious choice. However, the Times ends their report by noting that aside from rumors that Matt Reeves is (unofficially) out of the running, “all bets are off,” which leads me to wonder if Lionsgate is playing the press to get the directorial contenders fighting. Maybe by lowering their bids?
If this project is to be as big as proposed, I find it hard to believe Lionsgate is eager to hand it off to an untested director like White. Time will tell, I guess.
Who do you want to see direct Pride & Prejudice & Zombies?