Jane Austen and Zombies and TV (and Twitter)

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It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a television production company in possession of a good zombie tale must be in need of a twitter account.

The prim and proper meet the undead in Seth Grahame-Smith’s surprising literary mash-up Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. And while you were apparently elbowing your way towards that discount flat screen TV on Black Friday, a Twitter page launched with little fanfare, trumpeting the news that PP&Z would soon be adapted for television.

“Deadline Productions will make Pride Prejudice and Zombies into a 6 part television series,” said the tweet at PrideandZombies, a production company helmed by the same creative forces who were behind British TV’s Phoo Action in 2008.

I for one am a little skeptical about this one – curious how anything on TV could equal Grahame-Smith’s literary wordplay. But the fact that they are developing this as a 6-part TV event, rather than an ongoing series, leaves me hopeful: With a limited scope, and a defined end point, they won’t be tempted to water the whole thing down.

And who knows: Maybe they’ll even take the whole creepiness factor to a whole new level. Just look at the promotional shot above. Does this strike you as the least bit timid? If they are totally faithful to the premise, and embrace not just the pageantry but the gore, this could be wild stuff.

Reading their third tweet, it’s a little hard not to get excited about the prospect of seeing this scene play out:  “As guests fled in every direction, Mr Bennet’s voice cut through the commotion. ‘Girls! Pentagram of Death!’”

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