Development: Disney resurrecting Zombies 2; Paramount tackling Kill Them All; Alexander Payne biting into The Menu

The Disney Channel has given the green light to Zombies 2, a sequel to their 2018 surprise hit film Zombies. 

Meg Donnelly and Milo Manheim will be returning to their respective roles as Addison and Zed. Original writers David Light and Joseph Raso, who won a Humanitas Award for the first film, will also pen the sequel. Director Paul Hoen is also set to return.

"Zombies took our worldwide audience of kids and families by storm with its powerful themes and incredible music," said Gary Marsh, Disney Channel President and CCO, in a release. "We're thrilled with the work of writers David Light and Joseph Raso and look forward to working again with the immensely talented Meg Donnelly and Milo Manheim, as well as our equally talented director, Paul Hoen, to bring a new chapter of Zombies to life."

The sequel picks up where the first one left off, after the human cheerleader Addison and the zombified football player Zed bridge the gap between the living and the undead at Seabrook High. Now, the arrival of werewolves threatens to upend the newfound peace. 

(via The Disney Channel)

Next up, Paramount Pictures has snagged the rights to Kyle Starks' graphic novel Kill Them All. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the studio has tapped director James Coyne to helm the adaptation. 

Coyne, who had a minor role in the 2005 adaptation of Man-Thing, pitched his sci-fi script Cascade to Paramount, which is currently in pre-production.   

Kill Them All is an ode to over-the-top '80s action movies, which features a hard-drinking cop who teams up with a betrayed murderess to take down a Miami drug lord. The catch: they do it by going through the crime boss' high-rise — floor by floor. It started out as a Kickstarter campaign before eventually being picked up by Oni Press. 

Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec, who previously worked on the Mission Impossible installment Ghost Protocol, will produce. 

(via The Hollywood Reporter)

Finally, filmmaker Alexander Payne has signed on to helm the horror/comedy The Menu. Variety reports that the Downsizing director will direct the script from Will Tracy, Seth Reiss, and Vice director Adam McKay.

The film follows a young couple as they make it to an exclusive restaurant on a remote island, where the tasting menu turns deadly. 

There are no other details at the moment, including a timeframe for production, but it's slated to be the next film Payne shoots. 

(via Variety)