Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is dead. (Or is it undead?) Vulture can exclusively report that director David O. Russell is exiting the project based on the best-selling novel by Seth Grahame-Smith and instead plans to make the dramedy Old St. Louis starring Vince Vaughn as his next film. The issue, we hear, was a scheduling conflict with Pride star Natalie Portman, who was also the picture’s producer at Lionsgate Films.
Because Portman wasn’t able to meet Russell’s intended start date on Zombies, we hear that he now plans to make Old St. Louis this spring. And that means Scarlett Johansson — whose involvement in Old St. Louis was first reported in this blog in August — must now drop out (she couldn’t meet Russell’s start date, either) of her role in the film as Vaughn’s secretary and on-again/off-again paramour.
However, the change also means Let Me In’s Chloe Moretz — who originally had to pass on a juicy role in the Paper Moon–esque project owing to scheduling issues — appears to be back in as Vince Vaughn’s estranged teenage daughter.
We’ll keep you updated as the casting Rubik’s Cube turns.