Zombieland's long-awaited sequel Double Tap may have included a witty nod to the Walking Dead comic book series, but there was almost a proper crossover featuring the cast of the TV show.
Almost.
Director Ruben Fleischer revealed what could have been in a chat with UPROXX, admitting that it was "good" for Zombieland 2 to acknowledge the existence of its post-apocalyptic cousins. Who doesn't love a timely pop culture reference, after all?
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Revealing why the team decided to opt for Columbus calling the comics "unrealistic" rather than a full-blown cameo, Ruben explained: "I think it was good to acknowledge the reality of The Walking Dead.
"Emma [Stone] had a funny idea that as our heroes are kind of making their way through the post-apocalyptic landscape, they come across, just in passing, some members of the cast of the Walking Dead. But we never were able to make that happen."
Sadly, the idea never came to fruition – at the risk of Zombieland 2 having its own Scooby-Doo moment, like where "the Harlem Globetrotters showed up".
"It just never even became real," the director said. "I just thought it was a funny, funny idea. But I think the comic book nod is probably a better acknowledgement."
Besides, if a Zombieland x Walking Dead crossover had happened, there's every chance it could have delayed the film even more while the logistics were all worked out.
Stars Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg recently told Digital Spy that one of the reasons for Double Tap's 10-year delay was niggling issues with the script.
"We were all wanting to get back together, but the scripts weren't right and they just kept trying and they never worked," Harrelson admitted. "We felt – I think I can speak for Jesse on this – we were not going to allow this movie to go ahead if it wasn't going to have the same quality as the first one."
Zombieland: Double Tap is out today. The Walking Dead airs on Mondays at 9pm on FOX in the UK. You can also catch up on the show via NOW TV. In the US, the show airs on Sundays at 9/8c on AMC.
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