Tuesday 22 January 2013

Amazon remaking ZOMBIELAND

Tuesday 22 January 2013
The times, they are a-changin'. Online rental service Netflix has started creating its own content (Lillyhammer, House of Cards, Arrested Development), and now Amazon are jumping on the bandwagon with a remake of hit horror-comedy Zombieland.

The project was being developed for Fox, and originally started life as a TV show idea for CBS back in 2005. It hasn't been confirmed, but one assumes the show will recast the film's four leads (Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin)—survivors of an apocalypse who strike up a dysfunctional friendship during a road trip across zombie-infested America. Amazon's expected to release half-hour episodes via their Instant Video service.

Taking a wider view; what do you make of non-TV broadcasters making scripted entertainment like this? At the moment they're primarily remaking existing properties (a wise safety net to avoid failure, often with a passionate fan-base already attached), but will a company like Netflix or Amazon inevitably end up making a huge online hit that's entirely original? If so, will it be something TV simply couldn't make because it wouldn't make economic sense, or will web-exclusive content always be stuck in TV's shadow?