ZOMBIELAND: Coming this fall

By Dean Poling

July 05, 2009 11:43 am

— VALDOSTA _ “Zombieland” is scheduled to open in movie theatres Oct. 9, according to several movie Web sites.
The movie has attracted a lot of Internet buzz since filming at Valdosta’s Wild Adventures wrapped in February. A trailer or preview for the movie has also been released.
The preview shows glimpses of several scenes at Wild Adventures. “Zombieland” star Woody Harrelson’s character, Tallahassee, is seen shooting a machine gun while spinning from one ride. Numerous zombies, presumably the numerous extras hired in South Georgia, are seen marauding through the park at night. A vehicle crashes in the park’s lake. The Rattler ride apparently is used to destroy some zombies.
All of the trailer’s Wild Adventures shots are night scenes.
A few other snippets show Harrelson in scenes that look like they could have been shot in South Georgia, especially one shot of Harrelson walking down a highway past a field of hay bales. During filming, Harrelson became a regular site around Valdosta, shooting hoops at VSU, seen at Charley O’Corley’s in Remerton.
Hard to tell though. In addition to shooting “Zombieland” in Valdosta in February, other principal filming occurred in and around Georgia’s Newnan, Morrow, Decatur, Powder Springs and Atlanta.
In addition to Wild Adventures, Valdosta-area filming occurred on the property of the former Crackin’ Good Bakers.
Details are scarce because the filmmakers kept a tightly closed set while filming here. Wild Adventures refused much comment on the film. A person identifying herself as a Valdosta State University graduate said several VSU alums were part of the production team. In February, she said they could be interviewed but could not discuss the movie.
Tight lips caused some local speculation that the film might be a set-up to pull a “Borat”-style stunt on the region. A movie about making a movie rather than a movie about zombies.
The filmmakers’ resumes prompted some of these rumors.
Director Ruben Fleischer’s credits include working with the movie “Borat” and with reality shows.
Screenplay writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese’s past credits include “Invasion Iowa,” a reality TV show where Riverside, Iowa, the Midwestern birthplace of “Star Trek’s” fictional Captain James T. Kirk, is led to believe William Shatner is filming a major motion picture there. Producers “punked” the entire town into believing they were filming a movie when, in reality, the whole show was about the town’s reaction to being part of a movie.
Viewing the trailer, the movie seems to be what it claimed to be: a “buddy picture” about a “mismatched pair of survivors who find friendship and redemption in a world overrun by zombies,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Zombieland” is reportedly a comedy zombie movie. The Internet Movie Database (imbd.com) provides a brief “Zombieland” synopsis: “In a world overrun by zombies, a guy described as ‘the most frightened person on Earth’ looks to find refuge for a band of people to safety.” Internet traffic on the movie alsoThe tr mentions “an old funeral home that is turned into a morbid attraction called Zombieland.”
The trailer shows some funny scenes such as Harrelson, referring to some decomposing zombies with the line, “These fellas have really let themselves go.”
Harrelson’s character also thinks he might win something called “Zombie Kill of the Week” by tricking a zombie to its doom. Instead, Zombie Kill of the Week goes to a little, old lady (with a very familiar face) who drops a piano on zombie.
The movie stars Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin, Emma Stone, Amber Heard. Bill Murray reportedly has a cameo as a zombie. As well as many folks from Valdosta-Lowndes County and surrounding areas as zombies.
While filming took place this past February, you’ll have to look for “Zombieland” again this fall at a theatre near you.

To view the “Zombieland” preview, visit www.zombieland.com

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