As Jonathan Levine gears up to shoot his adaptation of Isaac Marion’s zombie romance novel Warm Bodies, he’s slotted in one of the remaining big pieces of casting, adding John Malkovich to the core group of actors.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world where the undead outnumber the living, Warm Bodies finds X-Men: First Class’ Nicholas Hoult as R, a zombie who experiences a major existential crisis while snacking on his latest victim. After striking up an unlikely friendship with the unfortunate man’s girlfriend, he starts to question what it is to be a zombie and finds his humanity creeping back in. Soon, his new attitude is pushing a chain reaction out among his fellow brain-eaters, includinghis mate M (Rob Corddry), who is the first to follow his lead.
Malkovich – last seen chewing the scenery in Transformers: Dark of the Moon – will play Palmer’s father, General Grigio. As the leader of one of the few remaining human strongholds, he’s understandably obsessed with wiping zombies from the face of the Earth. From the sounds of it, the role will let him conjure up another solid villain with plenty of the quirkiness he does best…