James McAvoy up for for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies?

The screen adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies has seen a fair few names come and go throughout its short gestation period.

Collider have picked up on some casting news from Pajiba, stating that Anne Hathaway and James McAvoy are being considered for the lead roles of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy.

Scarlett Johansson and Bradley Cooper's names, among others, had previously been linked to the roles, and it's unclear whether Hathaway and McAvoy have actually ousted them or simply been added to the list.

They'd make for an interesting choice. Considering the novel's irreverent, ironic take on the material, it'd add a bit of extra-textual fun if it featured the stars of Becoming Jane .

Both convinced in that movie, which drew on the similarities between Austen's own love life and the romances she scribed. They've proven their screen chemistry, and shown they could play it straight if that's what is required for Zombies .

Mike White is directing the adaptation (he replaced David O. Russell) and Natalie Portman is still producing (though she's no longer starring, as was originally the case).

Source: Pajiba via Collider

Would these two be an improvement on Johansson and Cooper? Your comments please!

Matt Maytum
Editor, Total Film

I'm the Editor at Total Film magazine, overseeing the running of the mag, and generally obsessing over all things Nolan, Kubrick and Pixar. Over the past decade I've worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at GamesRadar+, and you can often hear me nattering on the Inside Total Film podcast. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.