Pride & Portman & Zombies

?FUCK AND YES. From Variety:

Given Natalie Portman’s elegant demeanor, a turn in a period Jane Austen adaptation was inevitable. Portman
will star in and produce “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” a film that
is based on the bestselling book written by Seth Grahame-Smith and
Austen. Lionsgate will finance and distribute. Quirk Books published
the tome.
…
Described
as an expanded version of the Austen classic, the book tells the
timeless story of a woman’s quest for love and independence amid the
outbreak of a deadly virus that turns the undead into vicious killers. Portman
will play feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet, who is distracted from her
quest to eradicate the zombie menace by the arrival of the arrogant Mr.
Darcy.
…
“Natalie
and I are longtime passionate fans of Jane Austen’s books and this a
fresh, fun and thought-provoking way to approach her work,” Savitch
said. “The idea of zombies running rampant in 19th Century England may
sound odd, but it lends a modern sense of urgency to a well known love
story.”

I’m totally excited by this. I love Pride & Prejudice and Zombies, mostly for the way it keeps and amplifies all the meaning and themes of Austen’s original while adding zombies and ninjas; I think the book works because it’s played so incredibly straight, and I think casting Natalie Portman implies that producers understand that. Portman may not be the world’s greatest actress, but she’s exactly the type of actress to be cast in an Austen movie — she legitimizes the Austen half of the story perfectly. Plus, I think played an emotionally reserved Victorian girl plays to her strengths. Oh, I wouldn’t mind watching her take out a room full of zombies with kung fu while in a ballroom gown, either. (Via /Film)