Amazon’s ‘Zombieland’ TV Series Casts Kirk Ward As Tallahassee
We're still not sure what to make of Amazon's forthcoming 'Zombieland' TV pilot, which has the delicate task of replacing it's all-star 2009 lineup of Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg and Abigail Breslin with a more budget-friendly group, but things are getting interesting now that the big man himself has been cast. 'Invasion Iowa' star Kirk Ward has been tasked with filling Woody Harrelson's snakeskin boots as iconic Twinkie-seeking zombie-slayer Tallahassee, but will he live up to the challenge?
We'd tell you to hide your Twinkies, but something tells us that isn't much of a problem these days. Via Deadline, we've learned that the largest piece of Amazon's 'Zombieland' TV series puzzle has been found, tapping Kirk Ward in the role of square-jawed zombie-killing hero Tallahassee. Ward fills the role made iconic by Woody Harrelson in the 2009 Ruben Fleischer film, joining fellow Amazon 'Zombieland' co-stars Maiara Walsh as Wichita, Tyler Ross as Columbus, and Izabela Vodovic as Little Rock.
The leaked casting sheets for the Amazon pilot also outline a few changes for the character in the time since the events of the film, saying:
Tallahassee is still kind of a snarky weirdo, but he seems to have a much less spiky relationship with Columbus. He and Columbus have a pretty amusing thing where they riff on the fact that Steven Seagal movies always have three-word titles like “Marked for Justice” or “May Cause Diarrhea.” But Tallahassee also dispenses homespun wisdom about how to feel happy with your life. He also tells a weird story about being in a trailer park with a perpetually nude Matthew McConaughey. He also has a somewhat heartwarming scene where he tells Columbus that he’s been wandering aimlessly for a long time, but maybe he’s been put here for a reason — to help Columbus and the others.
No word yet on who will take the roles of two new characters Fred or Ainsley, both office workers prior to the zombie apocalypse. Original ‘Zombieland’ writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick wrote the pilot and will executive produce with the movie’s producer, Gavin Polone. Supposedly, Reese and Wernick originally had Ward in mind for the role of Tallahassee when the concept was pitched as a TV series in the first place having met him during filming of 'Invasion Iowa.'
What say you? Are you excited the ‘Zombieland’ TV series is really happening, with new actors in the roles? How would you like to see the new adventures of Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita and Little Rock play out?