Jonathan Levine tackles zombie love with 'Warm Bodies'
By Borys Kit
Summit is snuggling up to "Warm Bodies," hiring Jonathan Levin to write and direct the zombie-love project.
In a tone like "Twilight"-meets-"Shaun of the Dead," the story follows an existentially tormented zombie named "R" who begins an unlikely friendship with the human girlfriend of one of his victims. The blossoming relationship starts a chain reaction that will transform him, his fellow zombies and maybe the whole lifeless world.
"Bodies" is based on a book by Seattle's Isaac Marion, who self-published the novel and sold it through his Web site before the publishing rights were picked up by Atria Books, a division of Simon and Schuster, this year. Publication slated for this summer.
Bruna Papanadrea, an exec producer on "Milk" and "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh," is producing "Bodies" through her Make Movies banner. Executive producing are Laurie Webb and Cori Shepherd Stern.
Summit's president of production Erik Feig and vp production Gillian Bohrer are overseeing.
CAA-repped Levine proved his romantic comedy street cred by writing and directing "The Wackness" and he tackled the slasher genre with "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane."
Marion is repped by UTA and manager Brooke Ehrlich.
