Though he also directed the critic-appreciated The Wackness back in 2008, Jonathan Levine could very well become one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood after 50/50 premieres at the end of the month. But Levine isn't wasting any time before getting to work on his next project. The filmmaker already has Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer and Rob Corddry lined up to star in the zombie/romance film Warm Bodies and today he's added yet another considerable talent, according to Variety.
John Malkovich, last seen in this past summer's Transformers: Dark of the Moon, is now in talks for a part in the new Levine project. The plot is about a zombie named R (Hoult) who begins having a relationship with a human girl (Palmer) that completely rocks the status quo and could change the entire world. Malkovich will play a character named General Grigio, a man "obsessed with the destruction of the zombie threat," and, presumably, the film's principal villain. The movie is based on the book by Isaac Marion, which was adapted by Levine.
One thing that makes me curious about this film is how it will change the dynamic between the undead and the humans and make the audience cheer for the zombie. Thanks to the films of George A. Romero the average movie-going audience is conditioned to not only hate the walking dead, but to blow its head off with a shotgun. Basically it's going to come down to Hoult being exceptionally likable and Malkovich being a total and complete asshole. I'm pretty sure they can pull it off.
