Mila Kunis
Possibly the hottest actress working today (in both the ‘popular’ sense and the reprehensibly objectifying sense), Mila Kunis would seem like an obvious candidate for the role.
She’s got the sense of humour (vital), and so far she’s only been given the chance to show off her ass-kicking skills in lame movies (don’t blame yourself if you haven’t seen Max Payne or The Book Of Eli ).
Likeliness? She’s busy on Sam Raimi’s Oz: The Great And Powerful at the moment, so scheduling could be an issue. That said, it could do her good to get a corset on the CV.
If she turned it down...
Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde is possibly the hard-working actress of the moment: the past 12 months have seen her appear in The Next Three Days , TRON: Legacy , Cowboys & Aliens , The Change-Up , and she’s got In Time , Welcome To People , Blackbird , The Words and more on the horizon. And that’s not even mentioning her commitments to TV show House .
Taking on so many movies has meant that her quality control hasn’t always been the most robust, but she has a near-mythical ability to emerge from stinkers unscathed. And she always manages to bring conviction to the silliest of concepts.
Likeliness? Surely her name must be scribbled on the producers’ wish list somewhere.
If she turned it down...
Michelle Rodriguez
No stranger to ass-kicking chicks, Rodriguez would be a leftfield choice, but an intriguing one. She has previous form with the undead via Resident Evil , and she’s one of the most capable action actresses around.
The project needs some edge, which she could provide in spades. And at least she’d be guaranteed to be unlike any previous screen interpretation of Lizzie Bennet.
Likeliness? It’s not out of the realms of possibility, but we’re not exactly banking on it. Other commitments could also prove tricky: she’s set to return to the Resident Evil franchise, and could be called back into action for Avatar sequels (especially as James Cameron has said that no one ever dies in sci-fi).
If she turned it down...
Emma Watson
Pride And Prejudice And Zombies could be a good launchpad for the next evolutionary stage in Emma Watson’s career. She needs something with impact to ensure she shakes off any chance of Hermione Granger typecasting.
She could probably segue into it quite nicely too, as she can do the English rose bit in her sleep, but she’d get to have fun subverting it too.
Likeliness? After signing away her formative years to the Harry Potter franchise, you can hardly blame her for choosing her next steps carefully. Zombies could be a bit too risky for her, and Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables might scoop her up first.
If she turned it down...
Emily Blunt
No stranger to the contrictive charms of corsetry, Emily Blunt would be an ideal choice for Lizzie. Largely because she’d be pretty perfect in a straight adaptation of the original Jane Austen novel, so she’d lend Seth Grahame-Smith’s send-up some authenticity.
She’s also done a pretty decent job of balancing blockbusters with indie fare during her career so far, and she could mesh the two together here.
Likeliness? If you asked a Magic 8-Ball it would probably respond with ‘Outlook good’.
If she turned it down...
Andrea Riseborough
If the Zombies team are struggling to snag a big name, there’s plenty of just-off-the-radar talent they could take advantage of. After all, the concept should sell itself, right?
Andrea Riseborough grabbed attention playing a young Maggie Thatcher in The Long Walk To Finchley , and since then she’s made an impression in supporting roles in the likes of Never Let Me Go , Made In Dagenham , and Brighton Rock . As it doesn’t look like Madonna’s W.E. will be her ticket to the big time, she deserves a shot at this.
Likeliness? She’s got the canny ability to bring steeliness to period pieces, so producers should be taking notice.
If she turned it down...
Rose Byrne
Another option if you’re looking to avoid the A-list without scrimping on talent, Rose Byrne had been doing solid work for what felt like ages, before this year’s triple-whammy of Insidious , Bridesmaids and X-Men: First Class earned her wider attention.
Her doll-like features mean she’d have the looks spot on, but, as Bridesmaids and Get Him To The Greek proved, she has an underexploited gift for comedy.
Likeliness? She’s comfortable in blockbusters, having appeared in Star Wars and Troy , but she might have had her fill of zombies after 28 Weeks Later .
If she turned it down...
Mandy Moore
If Lionsgate are still struggling to get a sniff of interest from any of the actresses we’ve reeled off so far, they might be able to come to some sort of mutually beneficial arrangement with Mandy Moore. Her film career has never really exploded (save for voicework in Disney’s superb Tangled ) despite the fact she’s always a likeable presence, and Zombies could save her from a fate of straight-to-DVD romcom dreck.
Plus, there’s something of the bargain-basement Anne Hathaway about her, which would be in keeping with the film’s earlier casting targets.
Likeliness? This would be a sensible move for all parties at this stage.
If she turned it down...
Kate Mara
Rooney’s got better dragon-emblazoned, Fincher-directed things to do, so why not get on the phone to her sister? She’s had small roles in some biggies ( Brokeback Mountain , Iron Man 2 , 127 Hours ), but none of those appearances converted her into a household name.
Plus, little-seen but moderately decent actioner Ironclad showed that she was a natural with olde-time garb and English accents, but she was reined in when it came to ass-kickery. Zombies would give her the chance to run with it.
Likeliness? Both studio and actress could do worse.
If she turned it down...
Hilary Duff
Now we’re moving towards a situation where the casting folk are leaning deeply into the barrel, with the bottom in sight. The erstwhile Lizzie McGuire’s film career began and ended with the Cheaper By The Dozen franchise; outside of that, it’s been rightfully ignored sap-fests like A Cinderella Story and Beauty & The Briefcase .
We’re not going to lie, this isn’t ideal. But by this point, the producers are running out of options fast.
Likeliness? Expect to hear about a couple more high-profile names ditching the film before it comes to this.
If she turned it down...
Lindsay Lohan
You’ve now entered the clutching-at-straws zone. The moment when Lindsay Lohan’s name is brought up at a meeting is surely a sign that the execs should be panicking.
If you could turn the clock back, casting Lohan would be bang on the money; feisty, likeable, funny – she’d have been perfect. These days, she’s dropping out of more films than she’s appearing in.
Likeliness? This would have to be a last resort.
If she turned it down...
Tara Reid
If it ever gets to this stage, the filmmakers would surely be facing their very own apocalypse. Better known for her tabloid exploits than her acting these days, Tara Reid’s casting could only work if they decided to update the story from 19th-century Hertfordshire to the Celebrity Big Brother house, Dead Set style.
But holding back on the jest for a moment, could Tara Reid even end up turning down Pride And Prejudice And Zombies ? She’s due to return to her halcyon days for American Reunion , so perhaps even she’s got better things to do...
Likeliness? We expect the project to be taken round the back and put out of its misery way before it gets to this stage.
Can you think of any other actresses who should read the Pride And Prejudice And Zombies script (before probably turning it down)? Drop us your thoughts…
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 natteriꦏng 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.
