And the list of actresses who have better things to do than star in “Pride And Prejudice And Zombies” continues to grow.
Just a couple of weeks ago, it was reported that Blake Lively was officially offered the lead in upcoming movie to be directed by Craig Gillespie. The knee-jerk reaction from nerds around the web was that the “Gossip Girl” star wasn’t fit the wear the corset for the role, even though with movies like “The Town” and “The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee,” she’s proven she has more range than the teen soap opera would suggest. Well guys, you can relax, as Variety has tweeted: “Casting update, news broke a couple weeks back that Blake Lively was offered lead in PRIDE PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES. She has officially passed.” So the hunt will have to continue, but if the filmmakers want some kind of name talent, they are quickly running out of options.
Natalie Portman, Emma Stone, Anne Hathaway, Scarlett Johansson and Mia Wasikowska have all already been mooted as potential actresses to take on the movie, but for whatever reason, the project remains one no one is too eager to sign on to (and Variety also adds Rooney Mara to the list of actresses who has passed). Granted, there is still some time as when we spoke to Gillespie this summer, he revealed he was hoping to get “Pride And Prejudice And Zombies” rolling next year. But one can’t help but feel there is a certain aura of damaged goods now surrounding the movie, in that it has so far seen more people pass on it than actually sign on. We’re sure some more names will crop up, but we have a gut feeling that the eventual star will have nowhere near the star power of the actresses who have been approached/rumored thus far.
Boasting a script by David O. Russell (that was given a rewrite by Gillespie and Marti Noxon) the film is not without promise, but one does wonder what is keeping people from signing to the project. The search for Elizabeth Bennett goes on.
