This summer Paramount Pictures had a massive hit with the zombie apocalypse epic World War Z, which overcame its plagued production phase to earn a whopping $539 million worldwide. And it seems the zombie trend is not dead yet, as the studio is moving forward on Boy Scouts vs. Zombies. Deadline reports Paramount has hired Christopher Landon, the helmer of the Paranormal Activity spin-off Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, to direct.
Boy Scouts vs. Zombies’s screenplay by Carrie Evans and Emi Mochizuki snagged a coveted spot on the Black List (the list of unproduced scripts Hollywood producers deem the best) back in 2010. As you probably guessed from the title, its story centers on a Boy Scout troop who are forced to use their survival skills in a confrontation with a man-eating pack of zombies. From this concept you might infer that this movie is meant to be a mix of horror and comedy, and early reports would back you up there.
Back in 2012, Paramount had picked Tropic Thunder co-writer Etan Cohen to helm Boy Scouts vs. Zombies, and oversee a rewrite from Drop Dead Gorgeous scribe Lorna Williams. The movie would have marked Cohen’s feature directorial debut, but apparently that deal went belly-up. He has since moved on to preproduction for the Will Ferrell/Vince Vaughn comedy Daddy’s Home, and Deadline’s latest makes no mention of whether or not Williams’ contributions to the screenplay remain.
For his part, Landon made his mark working on the scripts for Paranormal Activity 2, 3, 4 and The Marked Ones. As this freaky franchise is known far more for its scares than any sense of humor, the up and coming director might seem a strange choice for this inherently silly zombie story. However, Landon notably co-wrote the shockingly solid Rear Window remake Disturbia, which offered both deeply creepy thrills and a dark yet satisfying sense of humor. Plus, we assume he had an impressive pitch to land this eye-catching gig.
It’s unknown when Paramount hopes to push Boy Scouts vs. Zombies into production. But while we wait, horror fans will have Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones to look forward to. The recently wrapped horror-thriller will open January 3rd, 2014. But with Halloween around the corner, let’s revisit the trailer from my favorite of this franchise, shall we?
