If there’s a zombie apocalypse, Colin Firth is in trouble. Zombies don’t care how dapper you are, after all.
As reported by Deadline, Firth will be facing a fictional zombie crisis, at least, as the leading man in New York Will Eat You Alive, an upcoming film adaptation of the horror comedy comic Zombie Brother. Zombie Brother, licensed by Tencent and created by Jia Haibo, is a horror comedy webcomic that’s immensely popular in China, dominating Tencent’s digital comics platform and spawning an animated adaptation and a stage play. Started in 2011, the comic tells the story of a town where an ancient coffin poisons the water supply, turning all who drink it into zombies who can evolve by eating the flesh of the living. It stars Bai Xiaofei, a young man who loves video games and has to come out of his shell to face the undead and the prospects of finding a girlfriend.
The report does not mention what role Firth will be playing as the star, whether it’s Xiaofei or a character original to this adapted version, written by Alex Rubens in collaboration with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand.
“We always wanted to cast this in a way that would give life to the source material and elevate the action and you can’t achieve that goal any better than hiring Colin Firth,” said Adam Fogelson, chairman of STXfilms Motion Picture Group, which will distribute the film in the English-speaking market. “From The King’s Speech to Kingsman, Colin always gives an Oscar-calibre performance. We’re thrilled to be reuniting with him on New York Will Eat You Alive in a role that will allow him to have fun while showcasing his deadpan humour and comic timing.”
The film will be executive produced by Edward Cheng and Straus-Schulson, with involvement from producers from STXfilms and Tencent.
The film has no start date for production as of yet.