By Emmet O’Cuana
WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Feed is a zombie horror story with a difference. Mira Grant’s debut novel is set after the outbreak of the Kellis-Amberlee virus, which kick-started a zombie apocalypse that shredded its way across the world, but failed to destroy society completely. Instead, humanity has adapted, and with people spending a lot more time indoors, the internet has become the main activity of the decimated populace, with ordinary citizen journalists now sharing information about the whereabouts and activities of the undead. When the established mainstream media proved untrustworthy reporting the first outbreak, bloggers became the newshounds of the day. Two of the brightest are siblings, Georgia and Shaun Mason, who are invited to cover the latest US Presidential race. During their coverage of the campaign of Republican candidate, Senator Ryman, George discovers a conspiracy that lies behind the origins of the zombie plague itself – making the two bloggers the target of assassins as well as the roaming undead.
WHY WOULD IT MAKE A GOOD MOVIE? “There’s always something to be afraid of. It used to be terrorists. Now it’s zombies.” Mira Grant’s (the nom de plume of Seanan McGuire) writing feels like a natural successor to George A. Romero’s allegorical horror films (the director himself actually appears in the story briefly, celebrated as a prophet before his time), with its commentary on media fear-mongering a powerful narrative hook. If you ever felt that the one thing the seventies paranoid thriller The Parallax View needed was moaning zombies, then this could be the film for you. Mira Grant also cleverly explores just how society would cope with a global epidemic on this scale. The health industry becomes the most powerful force in politics, and family homes are transformed into automated fortresses that force the owners to take a blood test if they want to walk through the front door. And if Feed were to prove popular, there are two sequels ready to be adapted in the form of Deadline and Blackout.
WHO SHOULD MAKE IT? Don McKellar’s 1998 apocalyptic black comedy, Last Night, remains a cult favourite, and boasts a canny mix of humour and smarts, making its director a fine pick to helm an adaptation of Mira Grant’s zombie-conspiracy thriller. Last Night featured a Thanksgiving dinner that the characters take part in several months early, because the world is ending, and Feed has a similar scene where the Masons and their parents have a restaurant meal outdoors – regarded as incredibly dangerous given the constant threat of zombie attack. On top of that, McKellar also wrote the adaptation of Jose Saramago’s novel, Blindness (which also deals with a viral epidemic and its effect on society), for director, Fernando Meirelles.
WHO SHOULD BE IN IT? Young actors Alison Pill (Scott Pilgrim Vs The World) and Garrett Hedlund (Tron Legacy) would be great as the blogger/zombie killing Mason siblings. Alison Brie from TV’s Community (a show that featured a zombie-themed episode before having a character announce that the trend was “over”) would be a nice choice as the Masons’ IT expert, Buffy, whose bubbly exterior hides a dark secret. Finally, Tim Robbins could effectively retread his performance from Bob Roberts as the charismatic Senator Ryman.
