It's been a long, hard road for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the adaptation of Seth Graham Smith's best selling book. The script has reportedly been highly praised, but it has had a difficult time getting people to stick with it. First, David O. Russell and Natalie Portman were attached before both dropped off this past fall. Then, after facing down some pretty stiff competition, Mike White emerged as the next director of the project. So guess what we have to report today?
Deadline has gotten word that White has been forced to leave the director's chair of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, citing scheduling issues. In a statement, White was quoted as saying, "I loved the project and looked forward to working with Lionsgate. Unfortunately, the timing could not be worked out. I wish them the best with the movie." While campaigning for the project, White outlasted the likes of Matt Reeves, Jonathan Demme and the team of Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
The concept sounds like a whole lot of fun, but it's hard to shake the thought that this production is totally cursed. We can probably expect that Lionsgate will offer the job to the other candidates next, provided they haven't all moved on to other things. It may be a while before we get to see little Elizabeth Bennet take of a zombie's head with an axe.
