Zombieland

Searching for family. In the early twenty-first century, zombies have taken over America. A shy and inexperienced college student in Texas has survived by following his 30 rules: such as "look in the back seat," "double-tap," "avoid public restrooms." He decides to travel to Ohio to see if his parents are alive. He gets a ride with a boisterous zombie-hating good-old boy headed for Florida, and soon they confront a young woman whose sister has been bitten by a zombie and wants to be put out of her misery. The sisters were headed to an LA amusement park they've heard is zombie free. Can the kid from Ohio get to his family? And what about rule thirty one?

Cast:

Jesse Eisenberg

...

Columbus

Woody Harrelson

...

Tallahassee

Emma Stone

...

Wichita

Abigail Breslin

...

Little Rock

Amber Heard

...

406

Bill Murray

...

Himself

Derek Graf

...

Clown Zombie

Deep Plot:

A mutated strain of mad cow disease has turned most humans into cannibalistic zombies within two months after the initial outbreak. Unaffected loner college student "Columbus" (Jesse Eisenberg) is attempting to make his way to Columbus, Ohio to see whether his parents are still alive, more out of a sense of obligation than any real concern. Along a stretch of highway, he meets "Tallahassee" (Woody Harrelson), another wandering survivor who seems driven solely by his desire to find Twinkies. They elect to travel together.

The two men enter a local grocery store (looking for Twinkies), where they dispatch a number of the infected. In a back room, they encounter "Wichita" (Emma Stone) and her younger, 12-year-old sister "Little Rock" (Abigail Breslin). The sisters were con artists before the catastrophe, and have little trouble tricking Tallahassee and Columbus into handing over their weapons. The girls leave, taking their vehicle in the process. Now forced to travel on foot, the two men find a Hummer stocked with weapons, with Tallahassee set out bent upon revenge, but when they catch up with the girls, the two once more gain the upper hand, relieving the men of their weapons and car again. Tallahassee manages to wrestle away Little Rock's gun, resulting in a Mexican standoff. Columbus negotiates an uneasy truce, and they all travel in the Hummer.

The girls state that they are going to the "Pacific Playland" amusement park, which is supposedly free of zombies. Columbus does not want to go along at first, but when Wichita informs him that his hometown has been destroyed, he stays with the group. When they reach Hollywood, Tallahassee takes them to Bill Murray's mansion. Tallahassee and Wichita meet Murray himself, uninfected but disguised as a zombie so he can walk (and golf) safely among the infected. When Murray attempts to scare Columbus and Little Rock as a practical joke, Columbus shoots him, believing him a real zombie. As Murray lies dying, Little Rock asks if he had any regrets, to which he replies with his last breath, "Garfield, maybe." Later, Columbus discovers Tallahassee has been grieving for his young son, lost to the zombies, rather than his dog as he had earlier led Columbus to believe. Wichita nearly kisses Columbus, but fearing attachment, she leaves with Little Rock for Pacific Playland without warning. Columbus persuades a reluctant Tallahassee to follow in one of Murray's vehicles.

At Pacific Playland, Wichita and Little Rock activate all the rides and lights, attracting nearby hordes of zombies. A battle ensues, leaving the two trapped on a drop tower ride. Tallahassee and Columbus arrive just as the sisters' ammunition runs out. Tallahassee lures the zombies away, then locks himself in a game booth, shooting zombies at his leisure, while Columbus goes after the sisters. In gratitude for having been rescued, Wichita reveals her real name is Krista. Tallahassee eliminates the remaining zombies, then blissfully consumes a Twinkie that Little Rock has found. The group leaves Pacific Playland together after Little Rock and Witchita give the men a scare by pretending to leave them behind. Then, Columbus realizes he's finally found what he's been lacking: a family.

The rulesEdit

A running gag, and a central theme throughout the film, is the list of rules Columbus comes up with for surviving in the zombie-infested world. By the end of the film, his list has thirty-three rules; but only a few are mentioned. A series of promotional videos starring Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg expanded on the list presented in the film.

1. "Cardio"
2. "Double tap" ("Ziploc bags" in a deleted scene)
3. "Beware of bathrooms"
4. "Wear seatbelts"
5. "Cast iron skillet"
6. "Travel light"
7. "Get a kickass partner"
8. "Bounty paper towels"
9. "Bowling Ball"
10. "Don't be a hero." Columbus changes the rule to "Be a hero" at the amusement park, facing his greatest fear, a clown-zombie, to save Wichita and Little Rock.
11. "Limber up"
12. "Avoid strip clubs"
13. "When in doubt, know your way out"
14. "The buddy system"
15. "Check the back seat"
16. "Enjoy the little things"
17. "Swiss army knife"
18. "Clean socks"
19. "Hygiene"
20. "Always have backup"
    ===Awards===

Awards and nominations
Ceremony	Category	Nominee	Result
Broadcast Film Critics Association	Best Comedy Movie		Nominated
Detroit Film Critics Society	Best Supporting Actor	Woody Harrelson	Nominated
	Best Ensemble	Abigail Breslin Jesse Eisenberg Woody Harrelson Amber Heard Bill Murray Emma Stone
Empire Awards	Best Horror		Nominated
Golden Schmoes	Best Comedy of the Year		Nominated
	Best Horror Movie of the Year		Won
	Biggest Surprise of the Year		Nominated
	Coolest Character of the Year	(Tallahassee)
	Best Action Sequence of the Year	(Tallahassee vs. the Amusement Park)
	Most Memorable Scene of the Year	(Bill Murray Cameo)	Won
	Best T&A of the Year	Emma Stone	Nominated
MTV Movie Awards	Best Scared-As-S**t Performance	Jesse Eisenberg	Nominated
	Best WTF Moment	(Bill Murray?! A Zombie?!)
Saturn Awards	Best Horror Film		Nominated
	Best Supporting Actor	Woody Harrelson
Sitges Film Festival	Audience Award	Ruben Fleischer	Won
Scream Awards	Ultimate Scream		Nominated
	Best Horror Movie		Won
	Best Scream-Play	Rhett Reese Paul Wernick	Nominated
	Best Horror Actress	Emma Stone
	Best Horror Actor	Woody Harrelson
	Best Supporting Actress	Abigail Breslin
	Best Cameo	Bill Murray	Won
	Best Ensemble	Abigail Breslin Jesse Eisenberg Woody Harrelson Amber Heard Bill Murray Emma Stone
	Best F/X		Nominated
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association	Best Comedy		Nominated
Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actress: Comedy	Emma Stone	Nominated

SequelEdit

Due to the film's success, writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have planned a possible sequel, with many more ideas they want to explore. "We would love it, and everybody involved creatively wants to do another one", said Wernick. "Woody Harrelson came up to us after the final cut of the last scene and gave us a hug and said, 'I've never wanted to do a sequel in the previous movies I've done until this one.'" Wernick said he plans to have Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin to star again with Ruben Fleischer returning as the director and that the writers have "tons of new ideas swimming in [their heads]". Additionally, they want to make the comedy into an enduring franchise. "We would love to do several sequels", stated Wernick. "We would love to also see it on television. It would make a wonderful TV series".

Reese and Wernick do not want to reveal any potential Zombieland sequel plot points. They are not planning on an immediate sequel, due to being heavily involved with other writing projects. The original cast and director are all set to return and Fleischer is enthusiastic about the idea of doing the sequel in 3D. Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg confirmed in February 2010 their return for the second installment of the series. In 2010, Fleischer stated that he was working on the screenplay and the creators have begun searching for another "superstar cameo".